Expecting the Unexpected
by AnotherAldebaran
Summary: Severus Snape is hit by a nasty curse by Bellatrix which has a very specific counter. Can Hermione help him while they try to end the war? Post-Hogwarts, AU, alternative story from 7th year onwards including a few details from the Trio's 6th year. Unexpected complications and unexpected allies appear along the way. Complete - epilogue up!
1. Dear Bella

**Dear Bella**

Severus Snape sighed wearily as the meeting finally started to grind to a halt. The inner circle of Death Eaters were seated around a large oval mahogany table in the Malfoy Manor's small dining room with their Lord at the head of the table in an almost throne-like chair. Severus himself was seated two chairs down to his left. The honour seats next to their Lord were currently filled by Antonin Dolohov next to Severus and Bellatrix Lestrange to the right of the Dark Lord while the host himself, Lucius Malfoy, was relegated to a seat further down the table. Nagini slithered around the table before resting her head in the Dark Lord's lap. The snake was bigger than ever, obviously well fed.

The meeting had gone on for several hours with reports from different groups, including some that weren't in the inner circle, but no food had been provided. The elves had kept everyone's glasses topped up with wine or champagne and some of the members were starting to look a bit drunk. Severus always drank sparingly if at all during the meetings and the Dark Lord never touched anything. He was at least grateful that they could meet in the elegant rooms of the Manor rather than outdoors as had been their main option before the raid on Azkaban that freed Lucius and the others imprisoned there, since kneeling in mud in the rain was not his favourite pastime. Lucius himself was not quite out of the doghouse yet after his failure in the Ministry some two years earlier and his own son's failure last year. He had chosen to slink back into the shadows rather than vying for favour with their Lord and Severus wondered how long the blond man would last before a mistake had him killed either by accident or by the Dark Lord's orders.

The last year had been … interesting, to put it diplomatically. At least the school year was finally over but that in turn meant that he would be expected to spend more time in the company of the more sinister one of his two deranged masters. The Dark Lord had surprisingly enough left Harry Potter and Hogwarts more or less alone save for a few impromptu raids on Hogsmeade when one of the senior Death Eaters got bored, focussing instead on gaining influence in the Ministry and on harassing people in Diagon Alley as well as upping the terror in the Muggle world.

Finally the Dark Lord ended the meeting, abruptly rising and leaving the room first, Nagini slithering beside him. Bellatrix hurried after him but he shooed her away and called for Wormtail instead. She shot the rat a venomous look as he scurried after his master. Severus rose slowly and followed Lucius out, wanting to hear if anyone said anything of interest before leaving the room without eavesdropping too obviously.

The person he least of all wanted to talk to cornered him just outside the room.

"Bellatrix." He inclined his head towards her, after all she held the Dark Lord's favour.

The witch looked wild and untamed in her black Death Eater robes. "Severus Snape. I know you're a traitor, Sevvie-boy, and I will make sure you can't hurt my Lord."

He raised an eyebrow at his more-or-less sister-in-law, a bit unsettled at her words but not really concerned. Raising his champagne flute in an ironic toast to her he turned away from her to go join Lucius in the small library, but he knew he had made a mistake when he felt her curse hit him in the side and heard her cold laughter following him. He winced but didn't break stride as he made his way to the other room.

Lucius had seen the event and sauntered over to meet them. The man was impeccably dressed as always but his eyes looked haunted.

"What did you do to him?" he asked his sister-in-law.

Bella only laughed, a deep rich laughter full of glee. "Women's magic, Lucius dear. Poor little Sevvie will waste away painfully over the next six months until he's nothing more than a ghost. _Virginem anathema._ "

Severus went very still as she spoke. He recognised that curse. Very dark, very old magic, from a time before wands and the thin veneer of civilisation, not often used these days.

"Counter it!" Lucius snarled at her. "The Dark Lord will be most displeased with what you have done, Bella."

Bella pouted at them both and faked a sad look. "Oh, I'm so terribly sorry, I can't counter it. There is a counter to it but unfortunately I am unable to do it, and no one else will either. He has to sleep with a willing virgin to lift the curse. Not that _he_ would ever find one, of course."

"Surely you're joking, Bella!" Lucius exclaimed but the witch sauntered off with a smile and a languid wave of her hand, altogether too pleased with herself.


	2. Order in the Hall

**Order in the Hall**

Hermione was glad to be done with all the exams and expected to have passed her NEWTs with distinction, not that the results would be known yet for another couple of weeks at least. For once the end of their school year hadn't seen a massive battle with Voldemort and they had been able to sit their exams according to schedule, to Hermione's relief and Ron's angst. She had enjoyed her last school year, having been made Head Girl to no one's surprise, despite the threat of Voldemort still looming over them.

She stayed with Harry in Grimmauld Place for the summer as the Granger residence was considered too insecure by the Order. She had with the help of Tonks and Kingsley managed to convince her parents to take an extended vacation abroad, travelling to places they had always wanted to see and visiting various distant relatives. In August she was due to start an internship at St Mungo's to study healing potions and charms, while Harry would go off to become an Auror and Ron was planning on joining a Quidditch team.

The end of their sixth year had seen a showdown on top of the Astronomy tower, where Draco tried to kill Dumbledore while Harry watched without being able to interfere. Somehow, however, the young boy was the one who ended up being flung from the tower, and his body had been whisked away by someone during the chaos when the Death Eaters fled the scene after the ensuing melee where Fenrir Greyback had been killed after injuring Bill Weasley. A memorial ceremony was held later for the young Slytherin prodigy, without a body. Apparently Voldemort had been furious with the Malfoys and Bellatrix Lestrange for their conduct during the raid while Professor Snape had risen in his graces, he was after all not involved in the young man's plotting.

Harry and Hermione ran the household as they saw fit together with Kreacher who saw to it that they didn't survive on sandwiches alone. The old house-elf had warmed to them both after they had found the Horcrux locket in his lair, swapping his real one for the false one that had nearly killed Harry and Dumbledore during their trip to the cave. His mood must have been seriously impacted by the imprisoned soul over the many years he had guarded it, but the fact that Harry gave him the copy instead helped to gain his respect. Harry was fine after a day's rest after their expedition to the cave but the Headmaster had been bed-bound for a week and looked weak several months afterwards. His still blackened hand didn't seem to improve either and he had nearly nodded off at the staff table during meals several times during their last year at Hogwarts.

There was an Order meeting held in the dining room, and as usual, Harry, Ron and Hermione were relegated to trying to listen to the proceedings from the top of the stairs. Despite being of age they still hadn't been allowed to join the Order, it seemed that Professor Dumbledore had forgotten about it and Mrs Weasley was still vehemently against it. They'd managed to hear a few details about some Death Eater raids on Diagon Alley and the latest status at the Ministry but otherwise it seemed like the Order couldn't decide on a course of action to move the war to an end. Mrs Weasley was shouting at Kingsley while the twins tried to get a word in, to no avail.

As the meeting wound down, Dumbledore called for her through the open door. She made her way down the stairs, nodding at Kingsley and hugging the twins. Most of the group had left but Professor Snape stayed behind, looking more uncomfortable than usual sitting stiff-backed on his chair at the far end of the table. Tonks and Remus were still there too, Tonks sporting a purple punk hairdo.

"Are you a virgin, dear?" the Headmaster asked without preamble.

She flushed a scarlet red at the intrusive question. What did that have to do with anything and why would he ask her such a thing, in the presence of Remus and Professor Snape of all people?

"How is that any of your business, Professor?"

"Would you please just answer the question," he said somewhat impatiently. "It is of great importance to Severus and the Order."

"For the record, No!" she said with a glare at him and turned back to leave. "Professor, Remus, Tonks," she said with a brisk nod to them as she stalked out of the room.

"That went well," Remus said drily.

"What did you expect?" Tonks answered, exasperated. Snape just glared at his teacup.

"I cannot let you pursue a student, Severus," Dumbledore said. "We'll just have to ensure we finish off this war within the next six months."

"You just want me to accept this? Let Bella get away with killing me like this!?"

"We all have sacrifices to make, Severus, in order to get Harry in the position to win this war," Dumbledore continued serenely. "Remember your oath, Severus. I forbid you to seek out a virgin girl for bedding."

Severus just stared at him before slamming his cup on the table and stalking out of the room, out of the house.

Upstairs Hermione, Ron and Harry heard the last of the exchange through the door that hadn't quite closed and an Extendable Ear that Hermione had dropped on her way out of the room. They saw Professor Snape leaving in a flurry of black, like a stormcloud.

"What was that about? Did he really ask if you were a virgin?" Harry looked at her in confusion.

Hermione nodded. "Something with Professor Snape, apparently. But why would they need a virgin, it's not like them to go off doing human sacrifices, right?"

Harry frowned and rubbed his scar absentmindedly. "What do you think is up with Dumbledore, anyway? He's seemed a bit off lately, he keeps rambling on about things that don't seem relevant during our meetings and he seems tired all the time."

"Yes, I've noticed as well. I think it's something with his blackened hand, it must be a curse. Maybe it's affecting him in other ways as well, not just his hand. Or is he just getting old? Do wizards get dementia?"

Harry shrugged and Hermione frowned, biting her lower lip. She had no idea what mental illnesses wizards could succumb to.

"What was that about?" Ron asked. "You're not a virgin, Hermione? Who did you sleep with? It wasn't me at any rate!"

"That's none of your business if I'm not!" she shot back at him.

After their shared kiss during the summer of their sixth year Ron had assumed them to be a couple, but after a few months of trying Hermione broke it off. She couldn't see them as compatible with his wishes for a stay-at-home wife who cooked and inquired about Quidditch and had a half dozen kids whereas she wanted a career and someone to share intelligent discussions with over a cup of tea in the evenings. Ron was still slightly jealous but had hooked up with Lavender Brown again and shouldn't have anything to say about her morals or lack thereof in any case.

"Come on, who was it? Was it a Gryffindor?"

"No! Leave it, Ron!"

"Not a Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw then? Hufflepuff?"

"No! Stop it!"

"Not a Slytherin I hope?"

"Leave off, Ron! I'm not telling! No it wasn't a Slytherin!"

"A Muggle then, I guess?"

"You're hopeless!"

"A Veela?" Harry interjected.

"A Goblin? Ewwww!" Ron said.

Harry started laughing and luckily Hermione didn't have to come up with something else when the discussion deteriorated.

-x-o-O-o-x-

A week or so later, Hermione got her chance to try to unravel some part of the mystery. Tonks arrived alone after an Order mission and Hermione sought out her company, offering a cup of tea and some of Kreacher's biscuits. The slightly older Auror was apparently exhausted after whatever it was she had been doing but her hair brightened from a dull mousy grey to a perky teal as the tea and biscuits worked their magic. Hermione liked Tonks, she was intelligent and vivacious and didn't talk to her as if Hermione was twelve, unlike certain others such as the Weasley matriarch.

"What's up with Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione managed to ask after a discussion about Harry and their summer plans.

"What do you mean?" Tonks asked warily, her hair losing a bit of its brightness.

"Something has happened. Why would Professor Dumbledore ask me if I was a virgin, just like that? And why was Professor Snape even angrier than usual?"

Tonks sighed and put her teacup down.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but I don't like this so I will anyway. Please don't spread this around, alright?"

Hermione nodded in agreement and pinky swore she wouldn't tell.

"Snape was cursed by Bellatrix. Apparently he has to shag a virgin or die within six months."

"What kind of curse is that?" Hermione sputtered, barely managing to put her teacup down without spilling. "I've never heard anything like it!"

Tonks nodded solemnly. "Women's magic. The old Pureblood families have their ways, you know. I never really got around to learning about it and I guess you wouldn't know as a Muggleborn."

"Well, why isn't he out finding someone?"

"Dumbledore has forbidden him from seducing a student, or even to try to find a girl for himself. He seems to prefer letting Snape die. Besides, it has to be completely consensual, no coercion or potions involved or it won't break the curse. Dumbledore probably doesn't think there's anyone like that available."

"That's outrageous! He'd forbid him from even trying? How's that fair? He's as good as condemning him to death!"

Tonks nodded and finished off another biscuit. "I'd do him myself but I'm unfortunately not qualified. He's not a bad guy, despite all that posturing and scowling. He doesn't deserve this death. Besides, I would think he could be rather good in the sack, with that voice and those long fingers."

"Don't let Professor Dumbledore know I asked you," Hermione said, trying to keep the blush down.

Tonks nodded and talk turned to other venues as the front door opened to allow Remus and Teddy. Harry came down the stairs to coo at his godson, and all of them shared some more tea and cake.

As the Lupins turned to leave, Tonks quickly cornered Hermione in the hallway while Remus and Harry spoke.

"My mother knows a fair bit about women's magic. If you're interested in learning more about it I could arrange something."

Hermione nodded as the others came to say goodbye.

She looked through the Black family library but only saw a few vague references to women's magic. What little she found seemed to indicate that it was an area completely kept away from men and not readily written down, but that there could be a lot of power in it both for protection and for hexes. Ginny had never mentioned anything about it either but she guessed that the younger witch didn't really think about it that way.


	3. Discomfort

**Discomfort**

Already a week after the incident at the Manor he started noticing the first few symptoms. A twinge in his back, an ache that wouldn't go away, a certain sluggishness when casting spells. He knew about the type of curse and after having reviewed the memory in a Pensieve, hearing the incantation again, he was certain that Bella had for once told him the truth. The only way out would be to find a willing virgin to sleep with, and Albus had now banned that avenue completely. As if he had ever lusted after a student, anyway!

He considered asking Lucius to use some of his connections to find someone but wasn't sure how far the oath would stretch in getting him off the hook of Albus' command. The Dark Lord had not yet commented on the event but it was only a matter of time, and Severus had decided to bring it up during the next meeting as it would be worse to keep it a secret. The Dark Lord despised weakness more than anything and with his fickle temperament there was no telling what he would do, perhaps blaming Severus for being weak enough to get cursed or blaming Bella for losing her temper.

Hogwarts was finally quiet after yet another school year. A few professors had left already but several stayed behind, some staying the whole summer. He had always enjoyed the Castle in the summer, the grounds and Forest teeming with life, the whole Castle available to him without annoying distractions in the form of misbehaving students. It looked like he would be too busy this year to see much of it, however, what with Order and Death Eater business making him split his time between Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place, the Malfoy Manor and Spinner's End. It felt odd to have a timeline for his death, although he had never expected to survive the war after spying for two masters and making enemies in both camps he had never had a clear indication of when it would happen.

An owl sought him out at breakfast, following the Daily Prophet delivery owls. He immediately recognised the neat handwriting on the parchment after having endured it for seven years of essays and, knowing that both Albus and Minerva would expect to hear about it right away, he put off opening the missive for as long as he could, finishing his second cup of coffee and toast with excruciating slowness.

"Who's the letter from, Severus?" Minerva asked impatiently when she couldn't take it any longer.

"Oh, no one in particular, I'm sure."

Baiting Minerva was one of his favourite pastimes.

"Why would she write to you, Severus?" Albus asked pointedly. Of course he would know who it was from.

Grumbling he tore the seal open, scanning the page quickly.

"It is indeed your favourite lion cub, Minerva. Why would she write to me and not to you, hmm?"

Minerva looked surprised. "Hermione writes to you? Why would she do that?"

"To ask a million questions, naturally. It looks like she has forgotten all I have ever taught her. If she's to brew for the Order I shall have to go and supervise her so that she doesn't set the place on fire, not that it wouldn't be an improvement over the current décor."

Minerva snorted and Albus looked mollified, gratefully. Severus rose quickly, stowing the missive in his robes. He felt slightly unsettled by the letter, Hermione had indeed written that she wanted to ask him about potions for the Order but it was clear from what was not said that she wanted a meeting with him away from prying ears and eyes.


	4. Girl Talk

**Girl Talk**

Hermione was deeply nervous as she paced outside the Birmingham shopping centre where they were meeting up. She was dressed completely Muggle in jeans and a turquoise top, having Transfigured her robes to a light summer jacket. Precisely on the dot she saw him approaching, dressed surprisingly Muggle in a black leather jacket, black jeans and boots and what looked like a black shirt underneath. He looked rather different with his hair pulled back in a ponytail and with a certain lack of billowing robes but she would recognise his gait and sharp eyes anywhere.

"Professor," she murmured and his eyes got even harder.

"Not here," he muttered and tucked her arm in his, guiding her to a quiet corner before pulling her close and Apparating them away somewhere else. A park or meadow somewhere by a calm river. A large willow stretching out over the water, some ducks along the shore.

"Your turn," he said as they had landed. "Take us some place you know."

She looked up at him sharply before obliging, still clinging to his arm, focussing on the memory of the Scottish lake she had visited some years back with her family and two younger cousins. She was still unnerved by Side-Along Apparition and even more so when the passenger was him, but he merely looked at her when they arrived.

"Good enough?" she asked somewhat pointedly. The deep lake was beautiful in the sunshine, the mountain across from them mirrored in the clear water.

"Fine but let's go to my place instead, listen carefully: The home of Severus Snape is in Spinner's End, Cokeworth," he said, murmuring the last part so close to her ear that she felt his hot breath on her throat, causing goosebumps to race down her side.

Without waiting for her response he pulled her close again and Apparated them to the front porch of what was apparently his house.

"A moment," he said before opening the door and she could feel numerous wards being reset to allow her in. He unlocked the door with a quick flourish of his hand and waved her in with an elaborate half bow.

"After you. The Snape mansion. Sorry I haven't cleaned, I didn't expect guests."

The house was tiny, cramped and obviously Muggle in origin. The front door opened to a sitting room overcrowding with books that made Hermione itching to explore, but she steeled herself. The room otherwise looked dilapidated, run-down and the furniture was scruffy. She couldn't see any doors leading elsewhere but part of the mystery was solved when one of the book cases turned out to be the door to the kitchen.

"Tea?" he asked her and she consented to the most English of solutions to all the world's problems.

She was starting to feel very nervous again, standing in the middle of the room with nothing to do.

"At your convenience, Miss Granger."

He served her a cup and sat down in what was obviously his favourite armchair, leaving the hard and somewhat lumpy old burgundy velvet sofa to her.

She took a deep breath and decided to jump straight in, Gryffindor style.

"I heard of your… problem, Professor," she began. He immediately looked angry. "Please let me finish!"

He glared at her but kept quiet which was as good as enthusiastic consent from anyone else.

"Obviously I don't have the full details but as far as I could gather you were cursed with a rather peculiar curse that cannot be released unless certain circumstances are met, correct?"

He exhaled noisily through his large nose, visibly deflating as he nodded, not bothering with a verbal reply.

"Furthermore, it sounded like Professor Dumbledore forbade you from seeking out a… a cure?"

She was not able to look him in the eye as she felt herself getting redder and redder in the face. She saw his scowl deepen as he nodded, he was clearly angry with Dumbledore.

"I can help you."

She had wanted to state it clearly but it came out in no more than a whispered squeak. His eyes flew to hers, startled, and she saw his expression shifting from angry to suspicious to incredulous before he did something completely unexpected. His rich laughter filled the room before he finally spoke.

"You want to help me? You personally? The Lioness of Gryffindor?"

She nodded, not yet finding her voice.

"And you're a virgin?"

"Obviously," she shot back with some annoyance at his disbelief.

"But why?" he said, some suspicion evident in his tone.

"Why what? Why I'd help you?"

"Why everything," he continued. "Why would you offer this, to me? Why are you still a virgin after all those years in Gryffindor? Do you truly understand the terms of this curse?"

"I think this conversation will take longer than a cup of tea, Professor."

"Please don't call me that, I'm not your professor anymore. I have a first name you know."

"Certainly, as long as you don't call me Miss Granger. That makes me feel like I'm twelve again."

He nodded and concentrated on his teacup, tapping the rim with a long finger as he was deep in thought.

"What do you know about this, Hermione?" he asked her, deliberately using her name, drawing it out. She shivered at the sound of it.

"I heard from Tonks that you will be dead within half a year if you don't shag a virgin. And it has to be consensual, not coerced."

He nodded. "That's the gist of it. Our esteemed Headmaster doesn't want me out there preying on the students, and thus forbade me from trying to solve this little problem. Not that I'd want a student anyway, I have never dallied with schoolgirls under my care."

"He'd rather see you dead? After all you've done for the Order?"

He raised an eyebrow at her again. "Obviously my tragic martyrdom would somehow benefit Potter who is all that counts in this war. That said, why did you lie when he asked you?"

"Professor Dumbledore? I didn't lie. He asked if I wanted to answer that question, and I declined."

Hermione got to hear Severus Snape laughing for the second time ever that evening.

"Well played," he told her and toasted her with his teacup.

She grinned back at him, pleased with the rare praise. Some of her nervousness had left after hearing his frank acceptance.

"You didn't answer me," he continued after a pause.

"I'm offering to help you because I want to, Severus," she said, his name slightly uncomfortable in her mouth. "You have done so much for all of us during these years and I think you deserve more than that death. I'm willing to do this."

"How noble," he sneered. "And you're willing to negotiate away your first time like this, Hermione? Letting me have it?"

She sat up straighter on the lumpy sofa and glared at him. "People that expect payment for services rendered are called certain names, Severus, and I'm not it. I've never put much stock in virginity but the right time never presented itself. The boys in school were never what I wanted anyway."

"But you're willing to accept me? I know what they call me, Hermione. If you do this out of pity, if you are revolted by me, it will not work anyway to break the curse."

She shook her head. "You know what the boys say but have you ever heard what the girls whisper? We notice other things. Your hands, your voice, your powerful magic, the way you move. You're rarely seen without those heavy robes in school but I've liked what I've seen of you."

He abruptly rose from his chair, flustered. She got up as well and cast a Tempus.

"I need to head back before they start looking for me. Will you help me with some of the Order potions this summer? That was after all the excuse I had for contacting you. I'll say we spent the day discussing curse scar healing potions. I need some help gathering ingredients anyway for some of them, I'd rather not go down to Knockturn Alley on my own."

He nodded absentmindedly. "Hermione … if we do this, we won't be able to use any charms or potions. I don't want you to end up pregnant."

She frowned as she thought it through. "What about Muggle methods? I can get the pill or something like that."

"That should work. By the way, I will accept your offer if you decide to go through with it. I don't have a particular penchant for seeking death and don't fancy giving Bella the last laugh, and besides I'd be a fool to turn down a beautiful young girl throwing herself at me willingly. But I will not ever think less of you if you back out of this, even at the last possible moment, despite what it might mean for me."

She flushed again but stepped closer to him anyway. Since when did he think her beautiful? No one had ever called her that, apart from Viktor Krum at the ball.

"Not a word to Dumbledore, right? I need to start learning Occlumency."

"Good idea," he said, raising a gentle hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Her stomach was full of butterflies or something bigger as she took another step towards him, reminding herself of her Gryffindor courage.

"I don't think this will be a problem," she murmured as she tangled her hands through his silky black locks to pull his head down to hers for a light kiss.

Her lips lingered on his for a moment before he reacted, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. She'd never been kissed like that by anyone before, the world disappeared and she couldn't say how long it lasted when they finally broke apart, flustered.

"I rather have to agree," he said raggedly, releasing her.

"Meet on Friday? For some planning?"

"I will contact you," he said, gently brushing her cheek again with a long finger.

As the door closed behind her she felt lightheaded, exhilarated by his acceptance and at the same time terrified over what she'd just agreed to. That kiss they had just shared had been more intense than anything she had experienced previously, despite being light and relatively chaste.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Hermione got word from Tonks that she could visit Andromeda a few days later and arranged to meet up for tea. She'd never visited Tonk's parents before, and had only talked with Andromeda briefly during a few meetings with the Order. She arrived at the orderly semi-detached house in a London suburb, the front garden well-kept but with a certain haphazard look to it rather than perfectly manicured, and rang the bell.

Andromeda Tonks was watching Teddy while his parents were busy, and so Hermione found herself entertaining a baby while Andromeda sorted out tea for them. They moved over to the couch by the fireplace, Teddy happily gurgling on a blanket while Hermione poured tea and Andromeda brought out scones and jam.

"So, Tonks mentioned you were interested in women's magic," the older woman asked her once they were settled.

Hermione nodded and sipped her tea. "There aren't many people I can ask. Being Muggleborn I don't have those connections, and Molly or Minerva don't seem like the right persons to approach for this kind of thing."

Andromeda chuckled. "I daresay you are right about that, young lady. Is there anything in particular you are curious about?"

Hermione had thought about it but decided not to mention anything about the curse on Professor Snape as it wasn't exactly something that should be shared with others, and besides she didn't much want the sharp older witch to know exactly who she would had done … things … with.

"Well, I came across the subject earlier and was interested in learning more. After all, as you may know, the curriculum at Hogwarts is rather male dominated and doesn't at all mention things like these. I guess it's assumed that witches will learn about it from home? Or do the wizards simply not think it's worth discussing? Anyway, I got to talking to Tonks and she mentioned you knew about it."

Andromeda nodded and prepared a scone. Teddy had fallen asleep on the blanket and Andromeda carefully levitated him into his cot.

"Women's magic mainly deals with the large changes in life such as getting pregnant and giving birth, but also with death and the gateway in between. It's not all roses and rainbows, you know, being a woman, and some of this magic deals with the choices that no one wants to make. Who lives, who dies in a birth gone wrong, do you save the child or the mother? When do you save a warrior who was grievously injured and when do you let them go? How do you treat a woman hurt in an abusive relationship, or someone who was raped by strangers, or a child abused by their parents? Things like that. I guess you're not thinking about those kinds of spells though, you don't appear to be pregnant yourself?"

Hermione flushed red again and shook her head.

"To be completely honest, I'm still a virgin and I'm interested in learning what I can use it for," she managed to say.

Andromeda looked at her, head cocked to the side as she sipped her tea.

"And you're of age, aren't you? That's very good, it will give you more power."

The older witch rose and walked over to a small cabinet where she dug out a slim notebook.

"I've tried to write down what I recall," she said as she leafed through it. "Now unfortunately I don't have access to everything I should have, given my family history, but I will share what I can with you. Please note that these spells are family property and passed down from mother to daughter, not something we tend to share with everyone."

"I'm honoured that you'll consider sharing some of it with me, then," Hermione said with a slight flush and busied herself with a scone as Andromeda looked through the book.

"There are some ways you can use the power of virginity," Andromeda said slowly. "It depends a little on your aim. There are incantations to increase fertility, or to enhance the skills of your offspring, or for protection."

Hermione nodded. "I think protection sounds about right," she said slowly. "For … for my partner, mainly."

"Is that so? That is a bit unusual but there are some incantations that can fit."

Andromeda showed her a few options and they narrowed down the incantation and rite together into something that should, hopefully, instill a certain amount of magical protection for Hermione's partner of choice.

She met Tonks in the door just as she was on the way out and thanked both witches for the chance to talk about something rarely shared with outsiders. It had been a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, learning new things and discussing magical theories, the subject in hand aside. Andromeda seemed to have enjoyed the company as well, talking to someone who took an interest in parts of her heritage that her own daughter dismissed.


	5. Plotting

**Plotting**

She set up a visit at a family planning clinic and got a prescription for birth control pills, grateful for the no-nonsense approach of the staff even if the examination had been horribly uncomfortable. Apparently she would have to wait until her next period in order to start taking the pills, so that would give her another week or two before she had to go through with her plans.

She could hardly believe herself, propositioning her dour teacher like that. Not that he was her teacher anymore, luckily. She was immensely grateful that she didn't have to face him in the classroom after their way too frank discussion in his living room. Truth be told, she had had a slight crush on him ever since sixth year when he took over Defense and his passion for the subject would shine through in his more physical demonstrations. He had gone back to Potions during her seventh year, ostensibly due to Slughorn's re-retirement but likely influenced by one master or the other forcing him to take that role instead. Remus Lupin had been allowed back as Defense teacher during their seventh year with Tonks filling in during his absences around the full moon until she gave birth to Teddy in April. She had enjoyed Tonks' classes, the young witch was quick and intelligent and showed them lots of useful tricks.

Their shared summer in the basement of Grimmauld Place a year ago hadn't helped either. What had started as a simple schoolgirl fancy during had deepened into something painful by the time Hermione had started helping out in the potions lab set up for the Order at Headquarters. He spent as much time there as he could, setting up cauldrons for various healing potions, ensuring that they had ingredients on hand, and coaching her both directly and indirectly by working next to her. His deft hands slicing roots, dissecting various animal parts and stirring cauldrons showed a precision borne of countless hours of practice, and the basement lab was the only place she ever saw him relaxing and taking off his multitude of layers in. They also spent a lot of time bickering, arguing about the latest research or discussing curses, wards and other spells that might be useful. He never strayed from formal politeness but she could still sense him enjoying their banter, perhaps starting to see her as something more than just an annoying Gryffindor student.

By the end of the summer she had even coaxed him into letting her help out with Wolfsbane for Lupin, first only assisting with the ingredient preparation and then during the last moon in August even brewing it nearly by herself under his supervision, made doubly difficult by her need and desire to impress him and her painful awareness of his physical presence.

The contrast in his behaviour when they returned to school had been difficult to bear although she did understand why he had to treat her with such disdain in public. No word of recognition, no stray looks could be allowed to make their way back to the Dark Lord's ears via any of the Death Eater kids, and now that Potter was back in his classroom his ire encompassed her by default. She assumed he was partly justified since after all Harry hadn't obtained the requisite O in his Potions OWL and as such shouldn't be allowed in his class but since he had finished one year under Slughorn he was allowed to continue in the NEWT class. She assisted with Infirmary potions and had insisted on doing a Potions project for the NEWT levels and thus managed to spend a little time with him apart from other students, but it was not quite the same as during the summer and she had missed their companionship.

Harry had matured considerably during their last year. He had spent a lot of time with the Headmaster but had also started to think more for himself of late and Hermione appreciated their joint seclusion in Grimmauld Place over the summer. They could have joined the Weasleys in the Burrow instead but both of them had opted for solitude and for running their own household with the help of Kreacher rather than submitting to Mrs Weasley's regime. He was getting ready for Auror training after summer while Hermione would go to St Mungo's to do an internship. Ron had landed a contract with a minor Quidditch team. They still had two Horcruxes to find unless Voldemort had created more than that already, and neither of them felt they could really start planning for the future when the threat of the Death Eaters loomed over them. Hermione wasn't even sure she was going to pursue a career as a Healer but figured it would be useful to know a bit about healing given their track record with skirmishes.

"Harry," she began tentatively one evening over tea and biscuits in the kitchen a few days after her foray to the family planning clinic, "what do you think of Dumbledore now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does he seem different to you?"

Harry frowned and drew a hand through his messy hair.

"It's hard to say. Maybe. I'll have to think about it. He seems more tired now for sure. Our last few meetings haven't really led to any new insights at all, he talks about the past and sometimes seems to forget that I'm even there."

She nodded. "I've been thinking, too. I think I'd rather not join the Order right now, actually. I don't want to swear to always follow his lead, I'd rather think for myself."

"Really? But you've always wanted to join?" Harry said with a frown.

"It's just that if everything hinges on you, I'd rather stay loyal to you than to Dumbledore. What if he forbids us to go off and find the next Horcrux for example? If we're in the Order we will be oath bound to do what he says."

"But if we refuse to join they will not let us know anything? How do we get any information about what's going on?"

She reached for another biscuit. "I think we can find ways to stay aware of the discussions. Maybe Muggle technology if the Extendable Ears don't work. I think people like Tonks could also tell us some details of what we need to know, or we will just have to research it ourselves."

He nodded. "I'll talk to Ron when he next shows up, see what he thinks about it. Molly will be ecstatic if we don't join anyhow. Besides, we've done everything so far on our own, we might as well continue that way."

"One way or other, we need to finish this soon," she sighed. "It's overshadowed our entire schooling and we're still no closer to ending it."

"We'll get him," Harry promised her, green eyes getting a hard glint through his round glasses.

"Come on, I have some potions to finish. Join me?" Hermione said as she had finished her tea.

Harry grumbled but followed her down to the lab where she put him to work stirring a batch of Calming Draught.

"Is it true you brewed Wolfsbane for Lupin?" he asked her idly once his potion was finished.

"Yes, I've done it on my own since Christmas," she said absentmindedly as she dumped yarrow roots in another cauldron.

Harry looked up at her and started stirring the next cauldron. He wasn't a too bad Potions assistant once they were out of the dungeon classroom.

"And now all this. Snape really trusts you then?"

Hermione shrugged. "I guess so. As I trust him. Although for Wolfsbane, Lupin and Tonks are the most important people of course."

"You trust Snape but not Dumbledore?" Harry frowned at her through his round glasses.

Hermione had to think. "Yes … somehow that is right. I trust Professor Snape with my life, and yours, while Professor Dumbledore would gladly sacrifice any players he deems unnecessary for the Greater Good. Sometimes he's been too callous with people's lives. Like that incident with Remus and the Marauders in the Shack, or the way he set up that whole test for us with the Philosopher's Stone."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, imagine if Snape had been in charge then, he would have told us to go back to our beds like good little kids and gone after Quirrel himself if Dumbledore had let him."

"He's always protected us, Harry," Hermione said softly before getting busy with the next cauldron.

Harry bottled the Calming Draught and took over dicing slugs.

"He's still a git though."

"Yes, but if you start listening to what he actually says he can be quite funny when it's not directed at you," Hermione conceded.

"If you say so," Harry said sceptically.

They finished up in the lab and made their way up the stairs again.

She had started up an ambitious Arithmancy project as well, a continuation of her NEWT project with Professor Vector. Together they had mapped the Trio's years through Hogwarts, predicting the outcomes of the events based on known data and checking variables to see what could have happened if things had gone differently. As the year progressed, she had added more people and events to the matrix as she heard about them, and it currently took up half a room in written form, or the better part of a small kitchen table when visualized in the air above it. She had added Dumbledore's supposedly cursed hand, the Horcruxes and their search for them, anything Harry had heard about Tom Riddle, Snape's spying, the Order and its members and all members of Dumbledore's Army that she could think of. The equations had given her the answer to why she shouldn't join the Order, confirmed by what she had heard from Tonks.

Ron joined them a day or so later and after some pizza and detailed discussions they agreed on a plan of action.


	6. Like an Onion

**Like An Onion**

Severus found his thoughts often wandering back to a certain bushy-haired witch as the week passed on. He was immensely grateful and relieved by her suggestion even if they hadn't actually acted on it yet, and nothing would be sorted until it was done. His symptoms were gradually getting more pronounced despite him telling himself that he was being delusional. He knew that within two months the aches and pains would be constant, and within three months he would not be able to perform the act required to release him from the curse, so the amount of time remaining was less than those around him thought.

Friday morning arrived and he stayed down in his dungeons, avoiding the ever watchful eyes of the Headmaster and his deputy. He felt inexplicably nervous although he didn't really expect to get the whole business over with that day, certain that something would come up. They had agreed to meet at Grimmauld Place as Harry was away for the day, but he had decided to bring her back to Spinner's End when it was time, not wanting to try to seduce her in Black's old home.

As he arrived on the front doorstep right on schedule he didn't bother knocking, knowing that the wards would have alerted Hermione anyway and not wanting to set off Mrs Black. She came to greet him in the kitchen, offering a cup of tea. He kissed her cheek, causing her to blush while he could breathe in the scent of her shampoo or whatever lotion she fancied mingled with her natural scents. Jasmine, tea, the scent of old parchment and rose.

She must have sensed the unspoken question in his eyes as she took a step back and looked at him.

"Not today, no," she murmured in response to his raised eyebrow. "We'll have to wait a little longer."

"How so?" He felt a bit disappointed but told himself he was being ridiculous for it.

"Forgive me for finding it uncomfortable to talk about my sex life or lack thereof and bodily functions with my old Professor, of all people!" she snapped, blush deepening. "The Muggle pills. I can't start taking them just yet."

"Ah, certainly. Shall we have a look at the potions you're making, then?"

They went downstairs and busied themselves with the cauldrons, Hermione asking some questions about an experiment she was doing for a potion to heal curse scars, and sorting out ingredients lists for what was to be brewed next. Hermione argued to start a batch of Polyjuice potion, just in case, as it had long shelf-life until the hairs had been added. He agreed to purchase the boomslang skin and other ingredients they needed as he refused to let her wander outside more than necessary, and some of the ingredients needed to be purchased in Knockturn Alley.

As they worked together he found his thoughts wandering back to earlier encounters with her. They had brewed together last summer as well and he had found her an adequate assistant, certainly more adept than an average student after six years of Potions, and he sometimes even forgot about her still being a student as she argued with him about research on potions and other subjects. She had even insisted on taking over Lupin's Wolfsbane, and although he had grumbled about it he was relieved that someone else in the Order was capable of handling the finicky potion. She had helped out with brewing during the following school year too, despite being busy with her final year studies, and he was grateful to be able to offload some of the routine work on someone else, not that he told her of course. And then there was that time in February …

They had been brewing Infirmary potions in his lab one Friday evening in February when he was suddenly summoned.

She had looked up at him with large brown eyes. "Be careful, sir," she had said.

"Return to your room, Miss Granger," he told her but she shook her head and asked to stay.

"I'll finish this first and clean up the workspace."

He didn't have time to argue with her. Hastily he retrieved his Death Eater robes and mask and swept out of the room.

Afterwards he somehow managed to Apparate to the gates but had no strength left to make it inside. After an indeterminate amount of time, the gates opened and someone levitated him up and started directing him towards the castle.

He was dumped in a bed in the hospital wing, yet again, and Poppy bustled around him, casting diagnostic spells and getting him out of his outer clothes simultaneously. It was hard to breathe with a crushed throat. Somehow debris from a collapsing building had caught him, despite shielding spells. He knew he was bleeding from several places but the throat was the worst injury, making every breath painful.

For some reason Miss Granger was there beside his bed. She took hold of his hand while Poppy was working.

"Albus," he managed to wheeze. _This won_ _'t work._

Her large brown eyes looking down at him, bushy hair around her head like a halo.

"Don't worry, Professor Snape, Madam Pomfrey will sort you out," she said nervously.

He shakily raised his hand to her face, making her look at him.

" _Legilimens,"_ he half whispered, half croaked, and pushed himself inside her mind, scanning her most recent memories briefly. He saw her worry about him, her finishing off the Potions on the list, waiting for him in the lab, bringing up some homework but not focussing on it, looking incessantly at what seemed to be a map of Hogwarts before rushing up and running to the gates, then sending a Patronus to Poppy.

" _Albus must know,"_ he told her in her mind. _"Forgive me for showing you this but there is no time."_ He pulled them both back into his own mind, showing his memories of the night, trying to gloss over the worst details. The evening had started with a meeting at the Manor where they had discussed names and locations of people to be targetted the next day and with some luck the Order could do something with that information if they acted quickly, before Mulciber, Avery and Dolohov led raids on various Muggleborn targets. He had been forced to go along with Avery to a family with two young Muggleborn kids that looked to be about eight and five years old near London. There was no way to save the parents from Avery's madness but he had managed to Stun and Obliviate the kids while making them appear dead so that Avery left them alone as he razed their house.

He pushed her out of his mind and she again stared down at him, now with a slightly nauseous expression. She still clung to his hand. He raised an eyebrow at her and she started, disentangling herself from him. She nodded at him and hurried away. Poppy returned to clean him up and put him in a hospital gown before casting another healing spell on his throat.

He had woken up later in the dead of night and found a hand clasped in his again. He slowly turned his head and saw her sitting in a large armchair next to his bed, fast asleep but still holding his hand. She must have Transfigured the standard hospital chair into something more comfortable as that was not a standard piece of furniture in the hospital wing. She looked young and vulnerable with her sock-clad feet drawn up under her. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to disentangling his hand as he drifted off to sleep again.

Poppy woke them both up the next morning when she unceremoniously shoved the bed hangings aside and gave him another batch of potions. Hermione stirred from sleep too and started fussing with her clothing, apparently a bit embarrassed by the situation.

"Good morning, Professor," she said and fidgeted in the chair.

"Did you talk to Albus?" His voice was rough after healing.

She nodded. "He said they'd get on it, I also spoke with Professor McGonagall about the names given." Her voice shook a little but she met his gaze without flinching.

"Miss Granger, I'm sorry about showing you all that, I didn't see any better options."

"It's alright Professor. I'm sorry you have to endure it." She managed a weak smile at him but her eyes were still haunted.

Poppy had hustled her out of the Infirmary, admonishing her to go join her friends for breakfast while giving Severus a tray with some tea, toast and a soft boiled egg.

His thoughts returned to the present as he was stirring the potion he was working on three times clockwise and once anti-clockwise causing it to change colour to turquoise just as it should, and he doused the flame under the cauldron. It had been an odd situation that they never talked about afterwards, neither about the Death Eater raid nor about the fact that she had sat vigil over him all night; nor did he ever thank her for bringing him back from the gates. He could just as well have perished there, too weak to lift the wards on the gate, if it weren't for her serendipitous intervention. He wondered if he owed her a life debt for it. _Maybe half a life debt? Would that be possible?_ He had never heard of such a thing but one never knew.

"We're not joining the Order," she declared suddenly as she had finished bottling a batch of Healing potion.

He looked up at her sharply. "Who, all three of you?"

She nodded. "Yes, we decided we don't want to be bound to Dumbledore as things stand right now. Of course we want to finish this but I think we need the freedom to act as we see fit."

"Interesting. You haven't mentioned it to him yet I take it?" He traced his lips with a finger as he thought it through. It made sense, in a way.

"No, not until we have to. By the way, I'd still like to learn Occlumency. I tried looking for some books on the subject but can't find anything of use, and Harry was of no use trying to describe it."

"I'll teach you," he conceded reluctantly. That too made sense.

"Now?" She practically vibrated with excitement.

He sighed. "Aren't you impatient? Fine. Let's go back up to the library, at least, the lab is not very comfortable for mind work."

They settled in two armchairs opposite each other in the library. Kreacher popped in with tea and sandwiches for both of them.

"The idea behind Occlumency is to make sure your memories cannot be breached by an outsider, or that you can fool an intruder into thinking they see the truth when it is in fact a fabrication. As such, there are two parts to successful Occlumency. First you need to organise your mind in such a way that you know what memories you need to protect, and how to hide them behind other memories that are less sensitive. The second part is not really relevant to you, and that is the fabrication of false memories that you show the intruder, making him think that he has seen the truth. Now, still your mind and imagine your memories are bound in some structure that makes sense to you."

It was much more difficult than she had expected, and after testing several mental structures she ended up with some kind of garden as her mental image of choice. She couldn't keep him out but at least the vines and thorns made it difficult for him to access too much. They spent a few hours practising before she succumbed to the mounting headache and called for mercy.

"What will you tell him?" she asked him after downing a headache potion.

"Who? Dumbledore?" he asked, confused after his reverie, trying to pull his mind back to the present.

She nodded. "And the other one you are supposed to serve."

He frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Actually, the Dark Lord might be easier of the two. It's always easiest to tell him the truth, just not all of it. Saying I have snared a third of the Golden Trio could be a great opportunity to secure my position."

She giggled. "That ought to drive Bellatrix mad with jealousy, certainly? What if Harry and I stage a fight over the fact that I spend time with you, some time when you are here? I haven't told him about this yet but we can probably word it so that it could pertain to the curse."

He thought about it. Making it appear that Potter and Hermione were at odds would certainly spice things up.

"Not a bad idea, as far as ideas go. Let's see if we can refine it a bit."

-x-o-O-o-x-

The next evening he was called by Lucius to attend a dinner at the Manor. It was a less formal affair and Bellatrix was thankfully absent. Narcissa was not in attendance, a bad strain of the flu Lucius claimed, and the mood was dull and sombre.

He made his excuses as soon as he could but unfortunately the Dark Lord called on him via Yaxley. He didn't attend dinners himself, not eating in public after his resurrection. Sometimes Severus wondered if the Dark Lord ate at all or if he just survived on blood and spite. Warily he made the trek down the corridor to the throne-like chair in the small ballroom where the Dark Lord waited with only Wormtail and Nagini in attendance. He knelt and kissed the hem of his robes.

"So, Severus, Bellatrix mentioned a little mishap?" his master said.

"Yes, Master," he answered evenly, annoyed with himself for letting her get the upper hand again by explaining it to him.

The Dark Lord frowned slightly. "Next time I expect you to do better than to be overpowered by her. Sort out your little problem, you are of no use to me if you are incapacitated. Have you informed the old madman in the tower?"

"I have, Master. He didn't want me to go preying on a student. I expect he will be somewhat flustered when I'm healed."

"See that you do," the Dark Lord said before dismissing him.


	7. Collision Course

**Collision Course**

Another Order meeting was called a few days later and this time everyone that could join was present. The full Weasley clan was there minus Charlie who was still in Romania, Minerva, Severus and Albus from Hogwarts, Kingsley and Tonks from the Aurors, Mad-Eye, Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones plus a few others that Hermione hadn't been introduced to. Many of them eyed the trio oddly as they took their seats at the far end of the table, having been invited to attend earlier by Dumbledore himself. Ginny was furious over being excluded but Harry had promised to invite her to come down as soon as he could. Severus barely glanced at them over his teacup as they sat down opposite him.

Dumbledore called for the meeting to get started and asked Kingsley to report first. The impeccably dressed Auror reported on the Aurors and some missions he had apparently been coordinating. Several Aurors were unhappy but so far it seemed that things were stable.

Severus was called to report on what happened in Voldemort's camp, to Mad-Eye's incessant taunting. Hermione was surprised to hear the ex-Auror still going on about Snape being a proper Death Eater and not to be trusted, but the dark taciturn man didn't acknowledge him. Apparently the Ministry was close to falling, many of the departments were infiltrated by Death Eaters and it was expected that Scrimgeour would be brought down one way or other shortly.

Arthur raised the point that contingency planning was needed for such an eventuality. Most of them agreed that Harry should not go ahead with Auror training once the Ministry had fallen, but they didn't reach any consensus on whether St Mungo's would be too dangerous for Hermione or not.

"Before we conclude this meeting," Dumbledore stated, "I'd like to welcome Harry, Ron and Hermione as members of the Order. Harry, would you like to begin taking the oath?"

Harry slowly rose from his seat, looking at his mentor. Hermione and Ron flanked him but didn't rise from their chairs. Hermione had brought out her Arithmancy parchments just in case, and Ron looked to be preparing a speech.

"Kreacher?" Harry called quietly. "Could you please bring Ginny down here?"

The elf nodded and returned with a determined-looking Ginny in tow in half a heartbeat. The younger woman sat down next to her brother, staring defiantly at her mother across the table.

Harry began talking. "Professor Dumbledore, you have always been a mentor to me, preparing me for the role I have to play in this conflict that is still not finished. Ever since my first year I've had to face Voldemort, usually on my own in the end, or with my trusted friends. We've had to forge our own paths through the scattered clues and random information that we found, sometimes getting things wrong, a certain Ministry raid comes to mind, and sometimes being altogether too right. I've faced him down several times armed with nothing but a second-year spell and sheer panic."

Dumbledore broke in, twinkling. "Yes my boy, you have done admirably during your years at Hogwarts, and a lesser wizard would have failed long before then. Now we offer you the full support of the Order and access to all the information we can gather."

"That's all very good and all, Professor, but with all due respect, where was the Order when it was needed? Why didn't I get the information I should have had access to, forcing the three of us to discover everything on our own?"

People around the table started looking restless, Mad-Eye looked like he was about to blow a fuse with Molly Weasley not far behind. Harry didn't let them speak.

"Hermione, would you mind explaining?"

She rose from her chair and unfolded her equations, allowing the neon red visualisation spring to life over the table. Most of them would not be able to follow the works but she noted that Kingsley looked impressed, and both Bill Weasley and Severus looked at it with interest.

"We've thought about this long and hard and the three of us will not swear an oath of loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix. We can swear not to reveal any secrets, or that we will act to try to bring Voldemort down," she saw Severus wince at the name and sent him a silent apology for causing him pain, "but we will not swear obeisance to the Order. We have to act independently in order to win, as shown in my calculations." A tap of her wand on the correct rune traced a path through the equations in pale blue. "Ron and I are first and foremost loyal to Harry."

"So you believe your little calculations over my decades of experience?" Dumbledore said with more bite than she had ever heard from him.

Severus looked pleased and she kept him in focus as she answered.

"We follow the path we believe is right, Professor," she said carefully. "We will need all the information we can gather in order to beat him, but we will not follow you blindly."

Ron rose next on Harry's other side. "Given the information we have heard today, we need to act soon to get this over with. He'll always have the upper hand in a full-scale battle and we need to play it smart instead. This current war of attrition is doing nothing but to grind us down."

"Please remember, all of you, that we are on the same side," Harry concluded their little speech. "We all want this nightmare to end so that we can get our lives back."

The trio gathered their things, plus Ginny, and made their way out of the kitchen and into one of the unused bedrooms. The door hadn't closed fully before they heard Mad-Eye starting to shout about impertinent teenagers. A few Extendable Ears let them hear Severus taunting McGonagall about her little cubs suddenly getting claws while Molly wailed about them being kids and as such not belonging to the Order while at the same time thinking them impudent for striking out on their own.

Ginny stared at the three of them, scowling with hands on her hips, clearly Not Happy with having been left out of the loop.

"Hi, Gin," Harry began.

"When were you going to let me in on that little fact?" Ginny snapped.

"Um …" Harry continued.

"I'm sick and tired of being in the dark!" the young witch half screamed. "I'm of age too, now, but all of them treat me as if I'm still ten! And now you too!"

"Sorry," Ron said to his sister. "You should be in the loop too. We ran out of time."

"Fine. Just don't do it again, alright? Just because I have a year left in school doesn't mean I shouldn't participate."

Harry kissed her as apology, chastely, or it would have been had the redhead not pulled him down by his hair for a proper snogging. Ron winced and looked away.

They had set up the upstairs library as War Room, as it were, and started pulling information together on scraps of parchment on a board along the wall. The same information was fed into Hermione's equations.

"I'm sure Dumbledore thinks it will end at Hogwarts but I can't see how that is a good idea," Ron said with a frown. "There's no way we will survive a massive battle like that, and with students and everything. He seems to want to play this like if Harry is the white King, to be protected at all costs and brought out at the right moment, but I think it would be better to set Harry up as the white Queen."

"Should I bring out the skirts?" Harry asked.

"Stop it, you git! You know the Queen is the most powerful piece and the one that can do the unexpected."

"So what are you and Hermione and Ginny then, Ron?"

"Knights, maybe, and Ginny would be a rook perhaps, protecting you."

"What about the Horcruxes, Harry? Any new leads of late?"

"Nothing, really. I'm quite certain something is at Hogwarts but there's at least one more hiding somewhere," he said with a frown and started ticking them off. "The diary, the locket, the ring are all sorted. Then there's something of Ravenclaw's and a cup belonging to Helga Hufflepuff. Plus Nagini. That makes six."

"What if he's made more?" Ginny said with a shudder.

Ron frowned and scratched his hair. "We need to see if we can get information from Snape."

"I don't think Dumbledore has told him about the Horcruxes," Harry commented.

"Why?" Ron said, slightly confused.

"Probably to keep that piece of information away from Voldemort if he should get caught," Hermione said.

Ron tried to summarise the situation. "So what information do we need? We're still no closer to the last two Horcruxes and we still don't have a plan for how to strike at Lord Snakeface."

Hermione nodded. "I'd like to talk to Kingsley. Maybe Tonks as well. She has good insights and many people overlook her skills."

"I'll try to pick Remus' brains and I'll talk to Dumbledore again as well, and maybe Minerva," Harry said.

"I'll talk to my brothers," Ginny offered. "And Dad."

"Who else is there?" Hermione mused. "Mad-Eye will be tricky. I will talk to Professor Snape in any case, better I do it than any of you."

"I can try to talk to Mad-Eye," Ron said reluctantly.

Harry snorted and wished him luck.

"If the Ministry falls it is likely that Muggleborn will be hunted. Can we do something?" Hermione asked.

"Doubt it," Ginny said. "I think we need to focus on Voldypants. The rest of the Order can try to work on that."

"Snape is crucial to this, isn't he?" Ron said with a frown. "No one else brings back anything of value, they're all just bickering."

Harry nodded slowly. "How can we strengthen his position?"

"He needs to be seen doing something that hurts us that he can tell Voldy," Ron continued.

"I'll see if I can think of something," Hermione said, feeling a blush rise again.

Harry looked at her, a bit too perceptive. "You've already thought of something, haven't you?"

"Look, I'll tell you afterwards if it works out, alright? Promise."

"Fine, but full disclosure, alright?" Harry said. "That goes for all of us here. I'm tired of secrets even if people think others will get hurt. Finding out afterwards hurts more."

They all nodded, Hermione with some trepidation.

"I've made new Galleons for you lot and whoever else we need to get in touch with. They're keyed to you individually and won't work for anyone else, including someone Polyjuiced as you. If you tap them with your wand and say the name of someone specific that also has a coin you can send a message to just that person, or if you say All it sends to every other coin." Hermione rummaged in her bag and dug out several coins, handing one to each of them.

Ginny tested it out and was able to send a message to Harry without issue. "Neat. I still have the DA coin somewhere too."

"Yes, these are a bit more advanced I think a few of the Order members should have these as well, I was thinking Kingsley, Remus and Tonks, and Professor Snape and maybe Professor McGonagall."

"I'd vote for Bill and the twins too," Harry said.

"Fine," Hermione said and got to work again.


	8. Oh Really

**Oh Really**

The day finally dawned and Hermione was nervous. It felt decidedly absurd to know that she would lose her virginity this afternoon, to her old Potions master no less. She showered, washed her hair, shaved, worried about the existence or lack of hair in strategic places, towelled off, tried taming her hair but failed as usual, agonised over which lotion to choose and finally decided she was being completely ridiculous. Unfortunately there wasn't much she could do to take her mind off the events that were to take place since she wasn't supposed to go out without an escort and she was too wound up to read or work on the Arithmancy. She settled on brewing instead, topping up their supply of a few basic potions that she could do half asleep, which unfortunately had the effect of negating much of the effort she had put into showering and making herself smell good. Kreacher insisted on her eating something, she had lost track of time again.

After three frantic changes of clothes she Apparated to Spinner's End via Oxford and Liverpool, and knocked on the door as evening started to fall. He opened the door dressed casually for Severus Snape in a white shirt and black slacks only, black leather slippers on his feet.

"Come in, I've just started making dinner."

He guided her to the tiny kitchen and handed her a glass of red wine before returning to the chopping board where half an onion had been reduced to neat cubes and a few cloves of garlic awaited.

"Do you need any help?"

"There's no room here. Have a seat."

Watching him cook was almost as mesmerising as watching him brew, she found, as he deftly prepared a pasta dish with lamb chops which made the whole house smell of tomatoes, garlic and basil. He didn't talk much while cooking and she didn't want to disturb his focus, but gradually she was able to relax, the butterflies in her stomach settling.

The food tasted as good as it smelled, as did the excellent Chianti he had offered her. She managed to clear the whole plate without even realising it.

A flick of his wand sent the plates to the sink and he turned his full focus back on her, his intense gaze waking the butterflies again, as he stood up and offered her his hand.

"Are you ready?"

"Never," she said, nervously.

He immediately backtracked and she could almost curse herself when she remembered that the act had to be done without coercion or it wouldn't work. She took a deep breath before walking closer to him and reaching up for a kiss. He tasted of wine and something decidedly him. His lips were soft and warm and pliant. Liquid fire ignited within her, spreading down her throat, warming her chest.

"Yes," she conceded and felt him smile.

She snuggled closer in his embrace, getting accustomed to his height and the feel of his arms around her back. He smelled of potions, sandalwood and something warm and solidly male.

"Hermione, I meant it when I said that I won't hold it against you if you want to call this off, even at the last possible moment."

She nodded and kissed him again, the fire spreading within her, igniting her stomach and causing a throbbing ache further down.

"For what it's worth," she murmured against his chest, "I'm glad it's you."

He chuckled, she could feel the vibrations against her cheek. "Likewise."

He bent down to kiss her again and she lost herself to his mouth, pulling him closer, tangling her hands in his hair. The world reduced to taste, touch and smell, sound and the occasional glimpse of him before her eyes drifted shut again, and pleasure, overriding everything else. Somehow they found themselves in his bedroom, and somehow she ended up on his bed, sans clothes. His hands and tongue doing things she had only imagined before, and oh how much better reality was than her imagination. He held her tight as she rode the crest of white hot pleasure and fell down the other side. She saw the question in his eyes before he claimed her, as she claimed him, and her answer was certain and emphatic as she pulled him ever closer over her before they were both lost again.

She had never felt so alive as afterwards, while he had almost passed out, sprawled half on top of her and half on the bed. She disentangled her legs from his, remembering Andromeda's words, and pushed two fingers inside.

"First blood, first pleasure, freely given, freely taken. With my blood I protect you. With my pleasure you shelter me. With my passion I claim you. With your power you have won me."

She murmured the incantation while marking his sternum with the fingers drenched in blood and juices, and then she touched her own breastbone with the same hand. She didn't think he had heard what she said. He stirred at her touch but still didn't open his eyes as she sealed the spell with a gentle kiss on his chest, feeling an answering tingle settle in her skin, from her scalp down to her crotch before sinking further in behind her own mark.

Remembering something her mother had told her, to her great embarrassment at the time, she got up in search of the bathroom to use the loo. Being the daughter of two dentists she Transfigured a piece of cotton wool into a toothbrush and sorted out her evening hygiene before joining him in bed again, sinking down under the covers. He stirred as she came in and rose from the bed, presumably on the same quest she had just returned from. She drifted into sleep before he came back but she dimly felt his presence, a warm solid body cradling her from behind as she fell asleep.

She awoke early the next morning and didn't recognize her surroundings. An old bedroom with peeling yellowing wallpaper, a rather dingy metal bed, dusty sun bleached curtains. And someone sleeping next to her, almost snoring. Black hair, pale skin, large nose. _What?!_ her mind thought before she caught up with herself. _Oh, Professor Snape. No. Severus. Definitely Severus._ She blushed but couldn't keep herself from studying him further. His face relaxed in sleep, the faint shadow of a beard starting to show. Pale skin with sparse hairs on his chest. Feeling brave, she shifted closer to him, laying her head next to his on his pillow, resting a hand on his chest. He smelled of Potions ingredients, solid strength and a tinge of musk. Safe. Protection. Warmth. She drifted off to sleep again.

The next time she awoke was to his intense black eyes gazing at hers from across his pillow.

"Morning," she managed with a weak smile.

"Indeed," he answered before disentangling himself and disappearing towards the bathroom.

She got a glimpse of a pale arse and long legs and felt her breath quickening at the sight.

When she heard him walking downstairs she too made the dash for the bathroom before trying to locate her clothes. She hadn't brought anything for staying overnight so had to make do with the same clothes as yesterday. Having made her way downstairs she saw that he was preparing tea and some toast for breakfast, and had set two Potions bottles on the table for her.

"If you're sore."

She blushed but downed them both without question.

They ate in slightly awkward silence before she got up to leave, wanting a proper shower and fresh clothes. He rose with her, following her to the door.

"I don't regret it," she told him, turning towards him. "And I don't want this to get in the way of us, you know, working together."

He nodded solemnly, watching her. "I wouldn't want that either."

She felt almost giddy at that statement, it was as good as a standing ovation from any other Professor she had ever had.

"How are you feeling today?"

He pondered the question carefully before answering, "Fine, actually. Alive. I think the curse has lifted."

She shot him a brilliant smile, relieved that it seemed to have worked.

"Will you contact me soon? We need to plot." She started walking towards the door.

"Certainly," he answered, following her.

She spun around and planted a quick kiss at the corner of his mouth before bolting out the front door.


	9. Full Disclosure

**Full Disclosure**

Harry had left for the Burrow the evening before to spend time with Ginny. Hermione was glad for the solitude as she arrived at Grimmauld Place and beelined for the shower. There was a faint smudge where she had marked her own breastbone and the skin tingled slightly as she washed it off. She felt giddy with hormones and sated pleasure and had not expected her first time to be that good, nor of course that it would be with her former Professor. How could everything feel different, yet as if nothing had changed? And how would she ever be satisfied with someone else after that? She'd never bothered much with boys and hormones even after seven years in the Gryffindor dormitories where she couldn't help but to overhear Lavender, Parvati and the others talk and giggle about boys and certain actions.

She emerged from the shower much calmer than the day before and decided to spend the day with research in their War Room. There were some anomalies in her Arithmancy matrix that she wanted to try to resolve, several gaps in the web, crucial bits of information missing that she could only hope they would find before it was too late. One such gap seemed to be related to Malfoy which she found very odd. She had plugged in Severus' curse earlier and now added their actions to break it but that too seemed a bit weird, not resolving correctly. She added the incantation she had learnt from Andromeda and gasped as she saw it weaving a connection between her line and Severus' own, it didn't behave as she had expected. _Curiouser and curiouser, indeed._

Harry joined her for breakfast the next morning, having opted out of the chaos at the Burrow. He had apparently been up way too long with Ginny and the twins playing various wizarding games. Hermione was glad she'd missed it, their idea of a good time was not always aligned with hers.

"This is very awkward," Hermione began nervously. "Remember the discussion we heard a few weeks ago? About Professor Snape?"

Harry nodded over his breakfast cereal.

"Well … I sort of helped him," she mumbled into her toast.

"Good," Harry said vaguely, turning a page in the Daily Prophet before his brain caught up with his ears and he started spitting corn flakes all over the table. "What?!"

She blushed a fiery red and nodded into her teacup. Harry groaned and banged his forehead on the table, narrowly missing the bowl.

"Um, Hermione?" Harry said once he had cleared most of the corn flakes away and drained half a cup of tea.

"Yes?"

"Full disclosure and all that, but I don't want any details whatsoever about your sex life, alright? Especially not if it involves Snape. I'll just pretend you were playing backgammon all night. Deal?"

She laughed but shuddered as she thought about Harry in bed with Ginny, or Ron with Lavender. _Or McGonagall in bed with anyone, or Dumbledore, or Tonks and Remus or Mad-Eye? Agh._ "Er … fine. No details. Promise. Backgammon it was."

"Thanks," he muttered.

They continued their breakfast in silence. The Daily Prophet had nothing of interest, Rita Skeeter was quiet for once, and at least one day had passed without new Death Eater attacks.

"Speaking of which," she continued later once they had cleared away the breakfast items, "we think we should spin it so that Voldy thinks Severus is pulling me away from you, creating a rift between us."

Harry looked up from the Quidditch magazine he was leafing through. "Should we feed him some misinformation first? Things you have overheard?"

"That might work, and then set off a major row at some point?"

"Yeah, probably over the fact that Snape was … playing Backgammon with my best friend," Harry said with a shudder.

"Something like that, yes," Hermione conceded fighting a blush.

"Ugh, well it would be believable at least."

Hermione felt slightly bad over making Harry that uncomfortable but at the same time he had requested full disclosure and would have flown off the handle if she hadn't said anything.

Another thought sprang to her mind. "Also, Dumbledore doesn't know any of this yet, alright?"

Harry nodded in response. "How will you explain Snape being cured to Dumbledore? It's not like it won't be noticeable when he fails to drop dead after six months?"

"Yes, I don't know what he plans to do about that," Hermione said with a frown.

"Polyjuice?" Harry asked idly over an article about the Holyhead Harpies.

"Hmmmmmm, that might just work. Thanks."

"Ron is coming here for pizza night tonight," Harry stated after finishing his Quidditch magazine and getting up from the couch.

"Oh, Ginny too?"

Harry shook his head, apparently his girlfriend was requested as dinner aide that evening.

Sudden inspiration and acute embarrassment struck simultaneously. "Harry? Have you and Ginny ever … played Backgammon?"

"Agh, Hermione! You're wrecking my metaphor! Now I won't be able to play Backgammon either without thinking about other things!" Harry moaned.

"Sorry!" she sniggered insincerely.

"For the record, no we haven't! Not that it's any of your business," Harry snapped.

"Okay, sorry, it's just about something Tonks mentioned. Girl stuff." She didn't specify which Tonks.

Ron arrived later in the evening. Harry had taught Kreacher how to make pizza and the old elf liked playing with different toppings, with somewhat mixed results. Hermione and Harry had together lamented the lack of electricity at Grimmauld, meaning that they couldn't watch any films or indeed even order a regular pizza via telephone. Kreacher sometimes got rather creative and this evening he had invented a pizza with banana, curry powder, shrimp, beetroot and beef. Ron was happy either way, it was warm and laden with cheese so he happily scarfed down half of it, despite having eaten at the Burrow. Meanwhile, Hermione took advantage of his distracted state of mind and vaguely mentioned select details about her and Snape and the curse.

After their meal they continued to their War Room, Ron bringing out the chess set he liked to play with in order to think, Harry preparing their bulletin board and Hermione setting up her equations.

"So, the Snape situation has changed a bit," Ron mused as he moved the black queen up. The black pawns cheered. "He should definitely be able to use that to strengthen his position with Moldyvort, if he can claim to have caused Hermione and you to break up as friends," he said to Harry.

Hermione was thrilled that he picked up on the main issues immediately and they proceeded to fill Ron in on the plan to stage some fights and feed false information back via Snape.

"Dumbledore still doesn't know about it," she reminded them.

"Right, so that will get interesting," Harry commented and jotted down some words on a parchment that was sent flying to Dumbledore's spot near the top of the board.

"But among the Death Eaters, what else will happen?" Ron continued, advancing the black knight towards the white one. "Bellatrix will be mad, of course, what about Lucius? If anything he should probably be relieved that Snape makes it? Or are they rivals for the viceroy position?"

Hermione sat up straight. "Malfoy, my equations keep pointing to the fact that we're missing info about Malfoy. I just can't get this to make sense."

"Yeah," Harry shot in, "Lucius must still be feeling miserable since Draco's gone, his only son and all."

"Draco…" Hermione muttered, "what if that's it? I've been using the elder Malfoy since the younger is dead, but what happens if…?" she said and switched out some runes in her equation. The boys watched in anticipation as the equations morphed into new shapes before slowly resolving themselves, the new values shining with a bright golden light.

"Shit, he's alive!" she breathed as the values started to solidify. "It's the only thing that explains this! It doesn't make sense but he has to be!"

"What, Draco?" Harry exclaimed, frowning. "How could he have survived that fall?"

"And who's hiding him?" Ron shot in, moving the white rook. It started quarrelling with a black pawn.

Hermione took a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts. "Let's check off what we know. Draco was tasked with killing Professor Dumbledore during our sixth year and made some stupid attempts during the school year. You overheard him with Professor Snape who tried to ask him what he was up to but Draco refused to answer so he clearly didn't trust Professor Snape at that time. Later on he managed to smuggle Death Eaters into the school via the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement, and they met up with you at the Astronomy Tower. What exactly happened at the Tower, Harry?"

He rubbed his scar which had twinged at the painful memory. He hadn't talked about this properly with his friends or anyone else since that evening, and then everything had been too chaotic to properly record the events.

"Too bad we don't have a Pensieve, it would have been easier to show you."

"Dumbledore has one but it's not like we can traipse up to his office to borrow it," Hermione muttered.

"Where could you buy one?" Ron wondered. "I've never seen them around and I'm sure they're awfully expensive."

"Kingsley might know," Harry concluded and made a note on another piece of parchment that fluttered off to a corner.

"Anyway, you know I was away that evening with Dumbledore," Harry began. "And you know that Dumbledore was severely weakened by a poison he had to ingest during that trip. We flew back to the Castle and saw the Dark Mark over the Astronomy tower so I flew us up there. Dumbledore told me to hide under the cloak and Stunned me as soon as I was invisible just as Draco arrived. Dumbledore talked to him a bit, begging him not to go through with it. Draco raised his wand in Dumbledore's face and was about to cast when Dumbledore disarmed him. The other Death Eaters came up the stairs, Rookwood and Bellatrix were who I saw, I don't recall if anyone else was there. Draco rushed at Dumbledore and somehow just as Snape came up the stairs, Draco fell over the edge. I can still hear his screaming." Harry shuddered.

"Anyway, Bellatrix looked completely taken by surprise, and just as they started to recover someone from the Order came up and stunned the other Death Eater, and then Snape and Bellatrix ran off. Dumbledore released me and basically fainted on the spot. The rest you know."

Ron frowned and scratched his five-o-clock shadow. "Yeah, it would help to see it. But in theory Draco could have staged the fight and somehow although we don't know how, managed to survive the fall?"

"It's unlikely that the Death Eaters would go through all that trouble unless it was Lucius trying to free his son. I suspect Snape was involved if Draco wanted to defect from the Death Eaters," Hermione said.

Ron and Harry both nodded and considered the news. Draco had been a total brat at school but if he had defected in the end maybe there was some hope for him.

Towards the end of the evening Ron had finally twigged to how Hermione had broken the curse on Snape. He stared at her wide-eyed, mouth gaping like a fish.

"You did WHAT with Snape?! I thought you said you weren't a virgin!"

"Well, I'm not now," she shot back with some glee at his queasy look. "I couldn't just let him die!"

Harry groaned and put his hand over his eyes. "Oh gods here we go again. Backgammon! They were playing Backgammon, alright?"

"What's that?" Ron asked, confused.

Hermione dissolved into giggles and the rest of the evening was spent on less serious issues, accompanied by popcorn.

-x-o-O-o-x-

The next day they accompanied Ron back to the Burrow to hang out a bit with the Weasley clan. Molly set them to work in the garden and Hermione found she enjoyed spending some time outdoors in the summer sun. The afternoon saw most of the redheads mounted on brooms for an impromptu Quidditch match while Hermione read a Potions journal in the garden, occasionally cheering when one side or the other did something unusually silly.

Harry and Hermione helped Molly in the kitchen, preparing the meal for the whole clan. Lavender showed up for dinner, keeping Ron occupied. Hermione was relieved that the pair of them had patched things up as it got her off the hook, but still couldn't quite stomach the blonde girl's company for too long before needing a break. She had helped Ron grow up, anyway, outgrowing some of his brash insecurities and jealousy of both his brothers and two best friends as he settled into a solid relationship with her instead, which Hermione was grateful for.

After a loud, boisterous dinner with the Weasleys, Hermione stole off with Ginny before Harry could catch her for more snogging. He grumbled a bit but went off to talk to the twins instead. They locked themselves in Ginny's room, warding it against intrusion and eavesdroppers and Hermione updated the younger girl on the latest news related to Draco.

"So you think he might be on our side? What if it was his father that had saved him?"

"We don't know but we don't think it was Lucius. It makes a lot more sense for Draco to have defected somehow and that he staged his own death."

Ginny fell silent, considering it before nodding. "So we should try to find Draco then? I would guess Snape is our best bet."

Nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Hermione took a deep breath. "One more thing I need to mention, full disclosure right?"

Ginny nodded and eyed her curiously from across her bed.

"So, early this summer Professor Snape was cursed by Bellatrix," she began and launched into an explanation of the events.

"Wait a minute, so you slept with Snape?" Ginny said disbelievingly before she started to laugh.

"Yes!"

"Really? Snape was your first?"

"That's not all though, I was going to ask if you and Harry had … done it … or if you had with someone else. I got a spell from Andromeda for protection but it only works if it's your first time," Hermione continued.

Ginny looked at her sharply. "What was the incantation, exactly?"

Hermione recited the incantation, "First blood, first pleasure, freely given, freely taken. With my blood I protect you. With my pleasure you shelter me. With my passion I claim you. With your power you have won me."

She was a bit startled when Ginny started laughing again.

"Oh, Hermione, don't you see? Did you use this with Snape?" she asked and groaned when Hermione nodded. "Did you tell him what you were doing? The first two parts are okay but the last two are meant to be used only if you're married."

"What? What do they do, then?" Hermione asked, nervously.

Ginny looked unusually serious. "They create a weak soul bond."

"Oh, shit. I didn't tell him, or ask if he was okay with it. He'll get so mad."

Ginny nodded solemnly. "Yeah, you're so dead once he finds out. As far as I know, the bond will decay if you don't, you know, do it again regularly. But you should be able to feel some of his emotions through it, for example."

Hermione groaned and hid her face under Ginny's pillow.

"So, how was he? I could imagine him being rather good, he's so intense. And I think you did the right thing, I'd have done it myself if not for Harry of course." Ginny grinned at her, eyes sparkling.

"It was … he was good," Hermione answered reluctantly, blushing fiercely. "But oh Gods, a soul bond?"


	10. Homenum Revelio

**Homenum Revelio**

He couldn't get their encounter, for want of a better word, out of his mind. She had been so open and uninhibited, despite her initial nervousness. He couldn't recall the last time he had been with someone who had shown him that level of trust, someone who had actually known and wanted him personally, not just as a generic representative of an average able-bodied male. It wasn't just the act, either, but the way she had kissed him beforehand and the fact that she had actually stayed for breakfast the next day, sleeping nestled close to him in his rickety old bed. That had most definitely never happened to him before, he generally never brought women to his home and preferred to leave as soon as possible afterwards in any case. It had felt right, somehow, despite the novelty factor.

The contrast between the last few days under the curse and the days after it, newly sated and cured, had been dramatic. He felt well rested, energetic, and strong, a bounce in his step and a sharp edge to his magic. He had stayed at Spinner's End for a few days so as to not arouse suspicion with the Headmaster or with the too-perceptive tabby Deputy Headmistress.

Hermione had owled him earlier to ask for a chat, and so he once again found himself in Black's dreary ancestral home later in the evening. She was in the kitchen with a fresh pot of tea and some scones. She looked lovely, bent over some scrolls of parchment, a Muggle notebook and some heavy tomes to her side. She looked up as she heard him enter, and her face lit up with a smile.

"Hi," she began nervously and rose to meet him.

"Hermione."

He kissed her cheek. If the small hitch of breath was anything to go by, he wasn't the only one affected by their earlier actions. She brushed her lips against his cheek in return, causing his own heart to beat faster. She hastily fetched a mug for him and poured the tea, just the way he wanted it.

Some tea and scones later they had gone through the potions ingredients inventory list that she had updated and the discussion turned to other things.

"I think you and the two nuisances are right, actually. Albus doesn't see the whole picture anymore and this is getting dangerous."

She nodded. "I don't have enough details yet of course but the equations seem to point at him prolonging this war unnecessarily. If he has his way there will be a showdown at Hogwarts next summer at the earliest, a massive battle with many lives lost on both sides. It's possible that it will go on even longer, into the year after next. I think both of them are a bit fixated on Hogwarts, actually, but we'd rather keep the school out of it if we can."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to make sense of it all. She was right, both of them were completely obsessed with Hogwarts. How could Albus think that a battle at the school would ever be a good idea?

Hermione was biting her lower lip again. He itched to wriggle it free. She took a deep breath and seemed to brace herself for requesting whatever it was she wanted of him. "I need to ask you something, if that's alright? It's just a bit hard to figure out how to begin, Dumbledore has asked Harry and us to look for certain things but I think he hasn't told you about it, and I'm not sure how much I can tell you without endangering everything, but we need your help."

"Breathe, girl!" he snapped.

Hermione obediently took a deep breath and seemed to be collecting her thoughts. Her breasts heaved against her dark blue blouse and he could see the faint outline of a nipple through the thin fabric and her bra. Not that he was looking, of course.

"Alright. You remember the cursed diary that trapped Ginny, right?"

He nodded. What a mess it had been. Lucius Bloody Malfoy foisting Dark objects on an innocent schoolgirl. And that too had been solved entirely by the Trio, come to think of it. A Basilisk. Slain by a twelve year old boy. _Wonder what happened to the carcass? Worth a fortune in Potions ingredients,_ he mused.

"We have reason to believe, or rather evidence of, several other objects that are similar to it and Harry especially has been tasked with hunting them down. We can't finish off Lord Voldymould until we have destroyed these objects."

"Interesting. Have you found more than the diary already?" His mind was already trying to catalogue the items, but he feared the answer would be exactly the one he didn't want.

"Yes, there was a ring and a locket."

"Ring … might it have been the one a certain Headmaster placed on his finger?" Severus asked, answer already clear in his mind.

Hermione nodded. "The very same. They are very hard to kill."

"And what do you need of me?" _This can_ _'t be true. It cannot. It must not. Shit._

"We think there are three more out there and are trying to find them so that they can be destroyed. There's a cup of Helga Hufflepuff's, there's something that used to belong to Rowena Ravenclaw, and then we suspect Nagini. One of them is likely at Hogwarts but we don't know where the other one is, and we thought that there's a chance it was given to one of the Death Eaters for safekeeping much like the diary was with Malfoy. The snake is of course a different kind of problem."

"Am I correct in thinking these are Horcruxes, Hermione? Plural?" he asked her, dread rising along his spine as he considered what this would mean for the boy-who-lived-to-make-his-life-harder.

She merely nodded. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Would the nightmare never end? If the Dark Lord had created more than the ones they knew about, how could they ever hope to finish him off?

"I'll try to prod a little if I can in a way that won't arouse suspicion. Should you focus on whatever might be at Hogwarts meanwhile?"

"We're trying but it's a very small needle in a magical haystack. We're going there again later this summer."

They practised Occlumency again. He tried to be reasonably noble and not actively look for her memories of their encounter, but he did manage to find some snippets of their meeting. Him cooking dinner in the kitchen, their shared meal. The way she looked at him, at his hands and body. Her appreciation of his backside as he left the bed the next morning, which he found rather astonishing but she desperately tried to hide behind a row of Venomous Tentaculas.

Hermione had brought up the question of how he was to inform Albus of his liberation from the curse. After all, he was forbidden from seeking someone out. She had argued that with the use of Polyjuice he could fabricate an encounter with someone else and claim that Lucius or someone set them up. He thought it was a ridiculous idea, naturally, but didn't have any better options on hand.

She glared at him. "I'll do it. I'll take Polyjuice and pretend I'm someone else, with you."

His heart soared in his chest. "Are you sure?"

Hermione nodded.

"Why?"

She looked at him before slowly answering, "Because I want to."

-x-o-O-o-x-

He felt rather triumphant after the last meeting with Hermione and the way she had seemed almost eager to help him again. To actually sleep with him again. The elation brought him through a day full of Albus' ramblings and halfway into another Death Eater meeting. Apparently Yaxley was turning into a big name in the Ministry and was nearly ready to stage the coup. The name Dolores Umbridge was bandied about as well and Severus had to suppress a shudder at the resulting memories of her Hogwarts career.

Lucius had arranged a party after the meeting, complete with Ministry lackeys and other hangers-on, pretty young witches in skimpy clothing, and a Wizarding string quartet playing something odd.

"A word with you, my lord," Severus requested politely, head bowed.

"Certainly, Severus," the Dark Lord answered.

They removed themselves from the mingling Death Eaters, Severus checking especially that Bella Bitch was occupied, and the Dark Lord turned his piercing gaze on him.

"I am pleased to announce that I have freed myself from Bellatrix' curse. I think you too will be pleased with the outcome as it was with Potter's little friend Miss Granger."

Voldemort laughed sharply, a deeply unpleasant sound.

"You managed to seduce the Mudblood girl, Severus? Well done indeed. You will of course be able to use this against Potter?"

Severus inclined his head. "Naturally, he will be rather upset to hear I have … _corrupted_ … his friend. However, first I will use her for information about the brat before trying to sway her to our side, leaving Potter short a friend."

Voldemort looked viciously pleased.

"And what of the old fool? Didn't he forbid you to seek out a resolution?"

"Indeed, I need to keep it quiet for a little while longer. I will seek out someone else for a tryst and tell him you had ordered it. He will be most displeased if he learns of Miss Granger, of course, so I will plan to reveal it in a way that causes the best effect."

Voldemort nodded and dismissed him after only a cursory Legilimency probe.

"Don't let Bellatrix get you again."

Severus nodded. "I would let her continue to think I'm cursed a while longer. If it pleases you of course, my Lord."

"Certainly, and then you may thank her for bringing you Potter's Mudblood girlfriend," Voldemort said with a smirk as he dismissed his faithful servant.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Over the course of the last two years or so Lucius had gone from a sneering aristocrat to a shadow of his former self. He still kept up appearances somewhat but it was clear to anyone that actually looked at him that he had lost all will to live with the death of Draco. At least, it was rather clear to Severus. He guessed that Bellatrix also saw through the blond man's blustering facade, she had always been uncomfortably perceptive whenever one didn't want her to be, but the other Death Eaters didn't seem to suspect a thing. He was virtually a prisoner in his own lavish mansion, forced to host the Dark Lord and his gaggle of followers, and the Malfoy fortune was being apprehended for his master's missions. Narcissa had stopped talking to her husband and spent her days locked in her chambers, and rumours had it she had gone half mad after her son's death. Severus hadn't seen her since Christmas.

He found Lucius observing the so-called pleasantries from a corner, away from most of the action, a champagne flute in his hand.

"A word with you, Lucius," he said to his host quietly.

Bellatrix was somewhere else with her husband-on-paper that evening or he would never have dared approaching the other man. Lucius looked him over and gestured for him to follow into his private lounge.

"I am in the rather uncomfortable position of having to ask you for a favour," Severus began as they had seated themselves with a snifter of brandy. It was excellent as usual, of a ridiculously expensive vintage.

Lucius' impeccable eyebrows rose slightly. "That's rather forward of you. Well, two can play that game. What's in it for me?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at the other man. "I can give you what you want."

"No one can, not anymore," Lucius muttered and downed his brandy without tasting it.

"Lucius, I can give you what you want," Severus said again with emphasis and saw the incredulous hope starting to blossom in the other man's eyes.

They sat in silence for a long minute, neither man moving.

"What do you need?" Lucius breathed, finally breaking the silence.

"I'd need a hair off a pretty young Death Eater daughter, first of all, preferably one that hasn't attended Hogwarts and is of a reasonable age."

"Well, that's easy enough," Lucius conceded. "Related to the curse Bella threw at you, I take it? You're looking rather spry for someone under it."

Severus nodded and contemplated his brandy without offering any more information.

"Remember the diary that you foisted on the Weaselette some years ago?" Severus asked. Lucius nodded. "Do you know if any other similar items were given to any other of our brethren for safekeeping?"

Lucius rubbed his temples as he thought about it.

"I've heard something vague from our dear sister, once or twice. But I doubt they keep anything at home, I don't think she'd want her husband to know. Her vault at Gringotts perhaps?"

Severus nodded. It was as good a lead as anything and worth checking out. He got up to leave, having finished the brandy. Lucius followed him, eyes pleading for more information even though he would never deign to ask outright. He rose as well and Severus stepped closer, mouth very close to the other man's ear.

"He's safe for now, that's all I can tell you. I'm not his keeper, only a messenger."

"Thank you," Lucius breathed.

Only centuries of Malfoy breeding kept his emotions in check. He moved to the window, blindly gazing out over the Manor grounds as Severus left the room, throwing him a last glance before closing the door. The image of Lord Lucius Malfoy standing stock still by the window, a dying man suddenly finding hope, followed him the rest of the evening.


	11. False Trails

**False Trails**

After another week's worth of preparation they were ready for the next step. He was grateful for her insistence earlier to start up a batch of Polyjuice, she had good instincts. Despite it all, he felt wary over what they were about to attempt. What if it didn't work? There was a heavy ball of dread in his stomach and he had not been able to eat all day until she arrived and they shared a simple meal again.

"Cheers," she said ironically and downed the potion, grimacing at the taste. She grew somewhat taller and her hair turned a darker chestnut colour, cascading down her back in soft curls. Her eyes turned darker brown as well and her face looked younger and nothing at all like herself. The girl whose hair Lucius had delivered was the daughter of a minor Death Eater, a Ministry official if he recalled correctly, and she was young enough to still be a student although she had been sent to Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts, citing family reasons.

She conjured up a mirror once the transformation was complete and set about Transfiguring her clothes to something more appropriate for a Pureblood Durmstrang student before squaring her shoulders in a very Hermione gesture. He nodded at her and she walked over to the door to make it look like she had just arrived.

"Professor," she murmured.

"My dear, you look lovely," he said insincerely. "Thank you for coming."

"I'm glad to help a friend of my father's," she said coyly.

He kissed her roughly, the taste and feel of her mouth all wrong although she responded eagerly enough.

"Shall we?" he murmured, keeping his voice extra silky. She shivered in his arms.

"Yes," she said breathlessly and he Apparated them directly to his bedroom.

He kissed his way down her body, hearing her ragged breathing and feeling her responding to his touch just as Hermione had done that evening. He was fighting with himself to continue, to gather enough memories to withstand Albus' scrutiny, but the whole situation felt wrong and bile started rising in his throat as he pushed her over the edge with his fingers.

"I can't do this," he gasped as she came down from her peak. He abruptly left the room, straightened out his clothing and Summoned a bottle of Ogden's.

Nearly an hour later and three glasses of Ogden's in his customary armchair, Hermione cautiously opened the door as herself again. She was dressed in one of his discarded shirts and not much else by the looks of it. She padded barefoot across the floor and promptly seated herself on his lap, resting her chin on his shoulder. He cautiously brought an arm around her to steady her. She was warm and not very heavy, and her natural scent made him relax as he breathed her in, burying his nose in her impossible hair.

She raised her head from his shoulder to look at him, nibbling her lower lip.

"It will be enough, Severus. I wouldn't have wanted Dumbledore to see more anyway, less if possible."

He nodded slowly. "Yes. It should do. I'll say she was Polyjuiced as you later so that we could start up the act for the Dark Lord."

She chuckled. "What a mess, I won't know who's who by the end of it."

She nestled in closer to him again and raised a hand to his cheek, stroking it gently. He felt her breath on his throat and a line of goosebumps went parading down his side all the way down to his knee. He put his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent. Somehow one of them initiated a kiss and the world turned alright again.

"Take me to bed, Severus," she said huskily and in one fluid movement he stood and Apparated them both up to the bedroom. His shirt had never looked as good as on her, but this time she took the lead and started working on his own shirt before need and urgency took over and the world shrank to hands and taste and sensation. _Yes. This is right._ He didn't know where he ended and she began as they found their release together.

She padded out to the bathroom afterwards but snuck back to his bed and dove under the covers. He soon joined her, pulling her tight to him as they both drifted off to sleep.

The next morning he awoke to the unexpected but rather pleasant sensation of another's hands on his morning wood. He lay on his back and the young witch was snuggled up on his shoulder, pert breasts against his chest and her leg slung across his thigh. Her free hand was busy exploring him.

"Hrrrmmmmm," he managed and she shot him a quick smile before returning to work with more vigour.

He pulled over to claim her lips with his and soon had her panting. His own need was rising but it was as if he could feel hers as well, mirroring his, and as she came under him he felt a warmth in his chest that somehow shouldn't be there before his own release felled him.

Something tugged at the back of his mind. He usually knew his own feelings even if he disregarded them most of the time, not allowed the luxury of emotion due to two masters pulling him in opposite directions. He'd definitely felt her feelings mirroring his this morning, and perhaps earlier as well, and why was he unable to perform when she looked like someone else? Had she doused him with something, or was he under another hex?

She had gone to the bathroom again and somehow it was as if he could pinpoint her location without even trying. He flew up from the bed and stalked out of the room, Summoning his bath robe as he waited for her to exit the bathroom.

"What did you do?" he hissed at her, his hands gripping her upper arms painfully hard.

"Nothing!"

"Don't lie to me! Why can I feel you?"

She looked terrified but finally answered. "A piece of women's magic that Andromeda taught me. I wanted to protect you."

"That was not just protection! What have you done?"

"Errm, I didn't mean to but it's possible that wemighthaveasoulbond," she murmured.

He hissed and closed his eyes. "Did you just say what I think you just said?"

"A soul bond. But Ginny said it was a weak one and if we don't do … what we just did … it would fade away," Hermione babbled frantically.

"I'm bound to two more or less sane masters that each want my soul, body and time, and you saddle me with a soul bond? Without asking?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Tears were running down her cheeks.

"Haven't you learnt anything about not going off using spells you don't understand?!"

"I'm sorry, Severus!"

"Get out!" he snarled at her.

She scampered out of the bed and quickly located her clothes, sobbing quietly. He closed his eyes but that didn't shut out the sorrow and regret he felt in his chest. Putting a hand over his sternum the feelings crystallised. _Oh. They_ _'re hers._ She ran down the stairs and he heard the front door slam shut.

Feeling deflated and somehow not at all pleased with himself he got up and busied himself with a shower and breakfast.

-x-o-O-o-x-

He met Minerva in the Great Hall which was nearly deserted. Only a few teachers stayed during the summer and those who did often ended up having meals elsewhere.

"Severus, how's your summer?"

He nodded at her, "The absence of students is a marked improvement over term time."

"Are you here to see Albus?"

"Yes, how is he?"

Minerva frowned and looked around to see that no one was eavesdropping. Only Trelawney was in the room, seated at the far end of the table, busy discussing life events with her glass of what might have been pumpkin juice.

"He's not well, Severus. He won't last much longer."

He nodded at her, seeing some of the things she wouldn't say in her posture and pinched frown.

"Albus," Severus nodded as he entered the Headmaster's office. The Headmaster himself was seated behind his desk as usual but didn't seem to have done much with the multitude of parchments scattered over the surface of it.

"Yes yes, come on in, lemon drop?" Albus looked up from his piles of paper and appeared surprised to see him before schooling his face back to the customary twinkle.

Fawkes was currently hanging upside down from his perch and chirped mournfully at him while devouring a kiwi fruit.

"I'm free from the curse, Albus," he began cautiously.

Albus peered at him, the twinkle waning. "Oh, that's good my boy, what curse was that?"

Severus frowned. "The one Bellatrix hit me with earlier this summer at the Manor. I told you about it?"

"Oh, she got you did she? Thought you knew better than to cross wands with her. Well, I'm glad you're cured from whatever it was, my boy, we need you."

Severus felt dread rising in his chest, was Albus that far gone already? He had survived longer than they had expected, well over two years since the incident, but it was clear he wouldn't last much longer.

"Forgive an old man, I feel the need to go lie down for a little while," Albus said and slowly rose from his chair. "Do you have another batch of those potions for me?"

"Certainly," Severus said and hurried to help his old mentor, master and occasional almost friend go to his bedroom.

Far away, a young witch felt sorrow and worry blossoming in her chest, and she put a hand over her breastbone as if to cradle his feelings.


	12. Piece of Cake

**Piece Of Cake**

They'd been busy over the weeks since the declaration that they wouldn't join the Order, and had arranged meetings with several key members. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been one of their first recruits, along with Remus and Tonks who also seemed to agree that their plan was more logical. Kingsley had been very interested in her Arithmancy calculations and was also able to add quite a few pieces of information to the puzzle regarding the Aurors and the state at the Ministry. Remus had quipped that he'd do anything for the one who brought his Wolfsbane, causing Tonks to promptly bonk his head, and both of them agreed to keeping the Trio informed. Since Fenrir Greyback had died during the Astronomy Tower battle, to everyone's great relief, the werewolves were not as much of a problem anymore with most of them choosing to hide instead of fight.

The Weasley twins were also easily swayed to their side, eager to help with what they could, and even Bill Weasley had agreed to help them albeit with a bit more reluctance until he had seen the Arithmancy equations for himself. Hermione was relieved that they would be able to rely on him and Fleur since both of them were highly qualified and intelligent, and Bill was great at curses and wards after his Gringotts career. Harry had also argued to bring in a few more teachers at Hogwarts but Ron had wanted to be careful with poaching people right under Dumbledore's nose, so they would approach the professors only once they saw a clear reason to do so.

Hermione had run the Arithmancy equations backwards and forwards and it very much looked like something related to probably Rowena Ravenclaw but possibly Helga Hufflepuff was kept at Hogwarts, most likely hidden when Tom Riddle had gone back to ask to become a teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts. They still had no clue where it, whatever it was, might be hidden, but there was something in the equations pointing to them needing to bring some people along from other Houses.

"Let's bring Luna, then," Harry said. "She's the best Ravenclaw. Who do we trust in Hufflepuff?"

They couldn't agree on a name but decided to ask Pomona Sprout if they needed anyone. Given that they were going to Hogwarts, it was clear that they needed to ask Severus from Slytherin. Luna was happy to be asked to join them and was given an upgraded Galleon as well. She'd spent a few weeks in Sweden with her father and the Scamander family but was now back in the country. Her father was anxious about the war, the Quibbler having taken a stance on Harry's side which was not a politically smart move in the current climate.

Hogwarts was different during the summer, still and silent, with a few weeks left of the break before students would yet again invade the calm. The verdant green lawn was resplendent with flowers, and the lake glittered in the sunlight, the Giant Squid raising a lazy tentacle in greeting as they approached. Hagrid opened the gates for them and they promised to meet up with him soon for tea.

Hermione was feeling more and more anxious as they approached the Castle, walking up the stairs to the heavy door. She could feel his presence, the sensation growing stronger as they approached. She missed him, his company and caustic remarks, his physical presence beside her working on potions, his hands and mouth on her. She'd seen him once during the week since that disastrous morning when he'd come to Grimmauld to give them some information, but he had been cold and distantly polite to her the whole time, looking straight through her as if she hadn't ever shared a bed with him.

Severus and Minerva met up with them in the Great Hall. He stood tall and as impassive as usual next to her, clad in his customary heavy black despite the season, and his gaze slid over her without even a hint of warmth. Minerva stood tall and proper in her usual dark robes, the very image of a powerful witch, but she had dark circles under her eyes and an air of worry around her.

"Welcome back," the Deputy Headmistress said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Albus is currently asleep but I'll help out with what I can."

Hermione frowned and bit her lower lip. He appeared to have deteriorated quickly over the summer, would he manage to hold on long enough to see the end of the war? She trailed after the group as they followed Minerva to an empty classroom.

Luna fell in beside her and appeared to study her closely. "He'll accept it eventually, Hermione."

Hermione didn't even bother to get surprised by Luna's perceptive comments anymore, nor to try to question what she was talking about. It was, after all, as useless as trying to find her invisible creatures.

"You think so?"

Luna nodded. "Just give him some time to come around and realise it is what he wants as well. It will be easier once the other two are gone."

Hermione flashed the younger witch a quick smile and felt oddly reassured by her statement.

They found an empty classroom without portraits, and Warded it thoroughly against eavesdropping, ghosts and others. Minerva and Luna were brought up to speed by Ron, telling them what they needed to know for now.

"What are we looking for?" Luna asked.

"Either what is likely a small golden cup belonging to Helga Hufflepuff, or some sort of artefact that used to belong to Rowena Ravenclaw, and we don't know where they could be hidden," Harry said.

Minerva wanted to check out the Trophy Room where she thought something might have been hidden, and Ron confirmed that he had seen something awarded to Tom Riddle in there. Harry was sceptical but agreed to have it checked out anyway.

"Well, if it's something of Rowena's, why don't we ask her daughter?" Luna said finally, to everyone's astonishment.

Harry and Luna went off in search of the Grey Lady. Ron and Minerva went to look through the trophy room, leaving Hermione alone with Severus. The air felt thick with tension. He stood by the door, still like a statue, arms crossed in front of him.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I never meant to tie you to me like that and I should have researched it better. I never thought to ask Ginny for example and she knew right away what was going on."

"That doesn't help much now, does it?" he said with some venom.

"Why are you so against it, anyway?" She did think they were rather compatible, if one put aside the obvious hindrances such as age and the fact that he had been her Professor up until a few months ago.

He finally looked directly at her but his fierce glare made her flinch.

"Can't you see?" he snapped. "I have all your emotions in my chest now and want nothing but to be close to you. I'm already balancing on a tightrope between two masters pulling me in opposite directions, and now you're adding a third direction by saddling me with a bond without asking? What about when you go off into the world and I can feel you hooking up with a nice young man, falling into his arms?"

"I don't want a nice young man, thank you very much!" She glared at him, hands on her hips. It felt good to be angry at him rather than just feeling guilty.

He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"I'm twice your age! You're what, eighteen?"

"Nineteen in September," she conceded. "So what? You're twice my age, you say? So when I'm thirty you'll be sixty, and when I'm fifty you're a hundred, and when I'm a hundred you're two hundred? Oh wait that's not how it works!"

He growled at her but she didn't let him speak.

"So you're pushing me away because you think I'm fickle since I'm young and will leave you heartbroken when I find someone better? Is that it?"

"Obviously!"

"What if I don't want to leave you?"

"They all do," he said bitterly.

She sighed, the anger deflating. There was no use being angry with someone who seemed to push people away on principle. Where were Harry and Ron? Had they found something yet? This wait was starting to become unbearable.

"We still need to meet to ensure that your scaly master thinks you're corrupting me and gaining information about Harry."

He groaned and nodded. "I will come by Grimmauld Place soon."

"When this is done …"

He glared at her again. "You think I'll survive? Spies never survive, I have betrayed one if not both sides and they will want revenge, all of them."

She rose and just stood there, looking at him, finally calm.

"It won't work, you know," she said quietly. "I'm not giving up on you. For the record, I am glad it was you that was my first. The curse was just an excuse, I would have wanted you anyway. And if you think the bond was the cause of our … erm … compatibility, we weren't bonded the first time."

She could feel his shock and confusion through the bond, mingled with something that felt like pride and a hot flash of desire, even though the only outward sign of his surprise was a slight widening of his eyes.

Luckily, they were interrupted by Ron and Minerva before she could embarrass herself further. They'd had no luck with the Trophy Room but had managed to unearth several ancient awards and memorial plaques that Minerva wanted to salvage to somewhere more visible. Ron and Hermione decided to give the Deputy Headmistress a galleon of her own and gave her a bit more background information as they waited for Harry and Luna.

"I cannot believe how much he's kept from me, from all of us," Minerva sighed.

Severus nodded. "Yes, it's his definition of the Greater Good, no one else's, and he's always played all his cards close to the chest."

"I'll do all I can to help you," Minerva told Ron, steely determination in her eyes.

They proceeded to pick her brains for information until Harry's blindingly white stag Patronus bounded into the room.

"Come to the Room of Requirement!" it told them and winked out of existence.

Ron and Hermione led the way as it seemed neither of the Professors knew about the Room's existence, despite their long tenure in the castle. Luna and Harry waited outside, the messy-haired wizard practically bouncing with excitement while Luna looked at him with detached amusement.

"I managed to talk to the Grey Lady and she said that the diadem was here in the castle and that Tom had corrupted it! It's in here!"

"Breathe, Harry! What did you find out?" Hermione interjected.

"Sorry, it's just so good that we're getting closer. It's definitely Ravenclaw's Diadem and we think that the diadem is hidden in the Room of Requirement, in a sort of dimension of the room that appears when you really need a place to hide something."

"Do you think you can access it?" Ron said.

Harry shrugged and concentrated on walking in front of the wall section where the door would appear. After his third turn, the door shimmered into existence. It didn't look the same as the door they had used for the DA meetings. This one was scruffier and smaller, a nondescript square wooden door. Harry braced himself and turned the handle slowly to look inside.

"It looks right, come on!"

"Okay, let's spread out, remember not to touch it if you find it," Ron said and they all moved into the horribly cluttered room.

Hermione was amazed by the sheer amount of detritus that had accumulated over the years. Why did anyone feel the need to hide a tall stack of broken chairs? She could maybe understand the urge to hide cloaks, books (the horror! She itched to read all of them), Potions experiments gone wrong, and various trophies, but she simply failed to understand the reasoning behind the Taxidermy experiments including a huge stuffed troll and what appeared to be a were-fox.

Harry shouted something unintelligible but excited and she hurried towards his location, joined by Ron and Minerva.

"Erm, first of all, this is probably yours, Professor," he said with a slightly embarrassed expression and handed a book to Severus who raised an eyebrow at him.

"Indeed," was all he said as he leafed through the book. It appeared to be the copy of Advanced Potion-Making that had helped Harry become a Potions prodigy during their sixth year.

Ron looked confused. "Did you find something, Harry?"

"Yeah, I think the diadem is really close to here, I saw it when I hid that book."

It was Luna who found it shortly thereafter. She calmly levitated it out from where it was wedged in, which allowed Severus to trap it in a scarf. It was beautiful but seemed to ooze wrongness, a black corruption, so there was no question about what it was.

"Well done," Minerva said briskly.

"How do we destroy it?" Hermione wondered.

Harry frowned. "I destroyed the diary with a Basilisk fang. I don't know how Dumbledore handled the ring but the locket was destroyed by Fiendfyre, but it was a close call."

"There will be no Fiendfyre anywhere near the castle," Minerva interjected.

Ron continued Harry's train of thought. "Do you think anyone has cleaned up the corpse down in the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Severus said with a frown.

"Let's go check it out, then," Harry said.

"Isn't it time for lunch?" Ron said, stomach growling.

Hermione groaned but the redhead's stomach was not to be swayed from a Hogwarts lunch and so they made their way to the Great Hall to join the remaining Professors for lunch. On the way out, Severus slipped her the Potions book, with a quiet admonition that she refrain from using any incantations if she wasn't absolutely sure she knew what they did.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Hermione eyed the entrance to the Chamber sceptically as Harry waved her on, Ron and Luna had already gone down. For some reason she wasn't too fond of jumping down unknown chutes but she took a deep breath and braced herself to slide down the pipe, and even managed to land without breaking any bones. Soon they were joined by Minerva and Severus before Harry too came tumbling down out of the pipe. Harry and Ron strode down the dark stone hallway, squabbling a bit over which way to go but eventually agreeing on the route. Hermione and Luna hurried to follow while Severus and Minerva took up the rear, wands at the ready.

They passed the shed basilisk skin and the caved-in section which they could make short work of with a bit of wandwork, Minerva ensuring that the wall was secure before she allowed them to continue.

"I wonder why Albus didn't let anyone down here," Hermione heard Severus comment to Minerva as they neared the door guarded by snakes. Harry hissed at it and the snakes slid back, allowing them access to the dank, cavernous chamber lined with tall stone pillars with slithering snakes.

"Yes, one of us should have been curious about it, especially you as Head of Slytherin. There could be more artefacts down here that we could use or learn from. Did he Confund all of us?"

"He very well might have, perhaps anchoring something in the school wards. It's possible that whatever wards he placed are weakening now that he is ill. I didn't give it a second thought afterwards and I should have, as a Potions master if nothing else."

Minerva nodded and didn't look too happy over the prospect of potentially having been the target of Albus' fiddling.

The basilisk corpse was huge and Hermione couldn't understand how a scrawny twelve-year-old boy could have slain it, even if it had happened almost by accident. Minerva appeared to share her horror while Severus seemed to appraise the corpse to see if anything could still be of use for Potions. A few of its razor sharp teeth had fallen out of its mouth when the flesh rotted. Ron unwrapped the diadem and placed it on the stone floor near the basilisk. It was beautiful but still had an aura of malice around it and Hermione thought she could hear it hissing, or perhaps it was just the stone snakes, something barely outside the range of hearing.

"I will do it," Severus said commandingly. "Stand back."

Ron stepped forward instead. "No you won't. What do you think old Moldy will sense next time you see him?"

Harry nodded, joining Ron. "Besides, we know the effect killing one of these things has. They try to get at you by any means possible. And no offence but we'd rather not see you seduced by his soul, you'd be even scarier than usual."

"Yup," Ron said.

Hermione grabbed a Basilisk fang and stepped forward while they argued, sharing a look with Luna who had also grabbed a fang earlier.

"I'll do it," she said and knelt down by the locket, raising the fang.

Pain shot through her as soon as she had stabbed the tiara once, it kept fighting back. The hissing voices started to coalesce into something audible. "You're not worthy, little Mudblood," they said. "He'll cassst you aside, he'll never accept anyone with ssuch impure blood, little impossster. No one likesss you."

She felt strong arms enveloping her from behind, keeping her upright as she wrestled with the diadem, pain shooting through her bond. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Luna approach the writhing tiara and with a decisive strike she impaled it with her fang. A ghastly howl was heard from it and finally all went quiet. She half lost balance and found herself in Severus' lap as she regained some of her composure, feeling the pain receding both from her head and the bond.

He abruptly pushed himself off the floor, away from her. Ron stepped forward and helped her up, dusting her off.

"My scar hurt like mad. Your mark too?" Harry remarked to Severus who nodded.

"Do you get any other feelings from him, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "Not as of yet."

Suddenly the chamber was filled with birdsong and once again Fawkes flew down to join them, much like when he had rescued Harry. This time, luckily, there was no basilisk to slay. He alighted on Severus' shoulder and sang a brilliant tune that seemed to clear all the cobwebs from their minds and hearts. Hermione felt the insidious words of the Horcrux melt away like snow in the spring sun, and the chamber itself seemed brighter.

The bird fluttered over to the diadem and seemed to inspect it, eyeing it beadily with first one eye and then the other. He thrust a foot out at it and turned it over, and even tried hacking it with his beak. Inspection complete, he next put his head very close to the stab wounds and let a few tears drop down on it. They evaporated in a large cloud of mist when they touched the metal which started to shine with a brilliant blue-white light, almost blinding Hermione and the others, and she had to shield her eyes from the glare.

When the light abated and Fawkes gave a content chirp, she opened her eyes to see the diadem whole and as bright as it must have been when it was new with brilliant diamonds around a large blue sapphire, with no trace of corruption or foulness. The bird took it in his claws, flew over to Luna and deposited it in her hands. She thanked the bird before putting it on her head, causing the brilliant diamonds and sapphires to glow even brighter, illuminating the whole chamber.

"This is good to keep the Nargles away," she said which caused Hermione and Harry to dissolve in a pile with laughter.


	13. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus

**Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus**

He'd received a request for a meeting on the Galleon the Trio used for communication and agreed to meet up at Headquarters later, a bit annoyed with their forthrightness while curious to hear what they would say. Of course the fact that Miss Granger would be there didn't help much, he was still mad with her but at the same time his thoughts kept returning to her, replaying their encounters and the perfect rightness he had felt in the moment, on both occasions. He tried to stay away from her feelings but sometimes he caught something, mainly regret and a deep longing which made him rather confused.

Severus entered the library warily and slammed all his Occlumency walls down when he saw Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny gathered in the room they apparently used for plotting. One wall was covered in bits of parchment, pictures and photographs. The rickety table by the other wall had Hermione's equations spilling down on the floor, and Ron's chess set was perched on a small side table next to an uncomfortable looking armchair where Ginny sat. All the chessmen stared at him as he entered.

"Thanks for coming," Ginny said.

He sneered at them, his customary classroom scowl. "Am I to be impressed by this gathering, somehow?"

Harry faced him, hard stare meeting his. The boy didn't look afraid anymore, unfortunately.

"We told you we're doing this our way. You have some information we need."

He didn't bother replying, raising an eyebrow instead and taking the glass of sparkling water with a slice of lemon that Kreacher had offered him instead. He wondered what they wanted from him, assuming that it was something related to the Death Eaters.

"We need to see Draco Malfoy," Harry said with typical Gryffindor bluntness, not giving him a moment to think.

Severus nearly dropped the glass, spilling half of it down his front. Hermione and Ron gazed at him from their respective corners. He could feel her steely determination mixed with nerves through their bond.

"And how would you do that, with him dead and buried?" he said, trying to regain his equilibrium.

"That would be a neat trick, wouldn't it? If he was indeed dead. Since he's not, we'd like to arrange a meeting," Harry said calmly.

"Why do you think he's still alive?" he objected, stalling.

Unfortunately, Hermione was the one to answer him, waving a wand at her Arithmancy equations which hovered neatly over the table. "The equations indicate that he's still alive. Of course they might be wrong but I can't find the error in that case. He seems to be one of the linchpins to this whole endeavour, without him we will either be dead next year or still fighting in our fifties."

"Tell me why, then. What are you planning?" he said hoarsely, hardly believing either himself or Potter.

"We need his input if we are to figure out how to end this," Harry said. "We are not going to try to hex him or turn him in to either Aurors or Dumbledore, we assume he's been hidden for a good reason. We haven't discussed this with anyone outside this room."

"I'll send for you," he managed to say, turning on his heel and stalking out again.

He was deeply unsettled after their meeting and blindly Apparated back to Spinner's End, cold sweat on his forehead and back. _How could they have figured it out? And what do I do about Draco?_ Needing to clear his head he changed into a shabby t-shirt and sweatpants and laced his old trainers, going for a run along the small dirty river. He ran faster than he should, trying to outrun his thoughts, and finally came to a stop when his lungs couldn't take any more abuse. He paused by the large oak that indicated his three-mile mark, barely managing to keep the bile from rising in his throat, taking deep lungfuls of the slightly cooler summer evening air to calm his racing heart. He turned back, starting out slowly to regain some of his breath before picking up the pace somewhat. He was completely worn out by the time he finally made it back to his home and collapsed on the floor before dragging himself into the shower.

By the time he had finished the shower and made himself a sandwich he found that his thoughts had unexpectedly crystallised themselves into agreeing to help the four brats with their impossible request.

-x-o-O-o-x-

After some last-minute preparations he spent the next morning travelling, using a roundabout way to ensure he wasn't being followed. A blond young man opened the door as he walked up the gravel path to the small cottage. The whitewashed walls and slate roof gave it a cosy impression, as did the thin column of smoke rising from the chimney. The two windows on either side of the front door were painted blue like the summer sky. A weatherworn wooden bench sat to the left of the front door, underneath the window, overlooking the tiny but well-kept garden with haphazardly planted rose bushes and flowers.

"Uncle," the young man greeted him.

"Draco."

"Since you always insist on formalities, what was the last thing I gave you for Christmas?"

"An enchanted music box," Severus answered. Draco nodded and let him in.

They made their way into the cottage, Draco always eager for news from the outside. He didn't see anyone apart from the house-elf Winky these days, who had eagerly accepted the assignment to care for Draco and the small cottage that actually belonged to Draco alone, inherited from a distant aunt. Winky brought them a light lunch served on the patio behind the house.

"Potter and his ilk are stirring the pot," Severus said with some disdain as he finished off a sandwich.

Draco eyed him curiously and poured some more elderberry juice for them both. "About time. What are they up to now?"

"They have figured out that you are alive and want to meet up with you to plot the Dark Lord's demise."

Draco was surprised to hear it. "How did they find out? Not from Mother, surely, and you wouldn't talk?"

"Hermione calculated it with Arithmancy," Severus scoffed, feeling an inexplicable sense of pride at her achievement.

"Figures." Draco got another sandwich for himself.

"Do you agree to meet them?"

Draco nodded slowly. "I think it's time, Uncle. I will go mad if I stay holed away here for much longer. We need to do something. I trust you to keep them from hexing me and I promise not to draw my wand first on them."

A few days later he had solidified his plans for how to get them to Draco's hideout, involving an illegal Portkey and a broom ride. Hermione protested wildly but grudgingly accepted riding in front of Harry. Severus shot down the pang of jealousy he felt at seeing her mounted on Potter's broom. He could feel her fear through the bond and she seemed to have her eyes shut all the way. They dismounted just outside the protective wards and he showed them a note with the address to the Secret-kept house. As they walked up the gravel path, Draco opened the front door and stepped out to lean nonchalantly against the doorframe.

"Scarhead," Draco said politely, nodding to Harry.

"Ferret," Harry replied, equally politely. Severus winced behind him, would those two ever grow up? Probably not, come to think of it.

"Weasel, Weaselette," Draco nodded at the two redheads before hesitating as his eyes lit on Hermione. "Granger."

"You're looking well, Draco," Hermione said tentatively.

Ginny and Ron looked stunned at seeing him despite all their planning, and he had refrained from calling Hermione Mudblood.

"Thanks. Hadn't expected to see the lot of you here."

He invited them in and soon they were all seated around the dining table in the small cottage. It was surprisingly Muggle and the insides weren't much bigger than the outside. The left half of the house held a kitchen and one bedroom. The tiny bathroom was immediately to the right of the entrance hallway while the living room took up the rest of the right-hand side of the house. The worn oak table was littered with books and Daily Prophet issues, it seemed Draco was trying to stay busy. Severus stayed by the doorframe, watching over the rest of them, arms crossed in front of him.

"We're finishing this whole mess soon and would like your help," Harry began.

Draco started to laugh.

"So what's the grand plan?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing much. We'll just sneak in and tell him to stop torturing people."

"From what we can gather, they are still holed up in Malfoy Manor," Ron explained. "We need a way in and as much information as you can give us on the place."

Draco nodded and shared a look with Severus before asking Winky for some tea and biscuits. Draco played host and asked his visiting former arch enemies about updates on their classmates and what was going on in the outside world before talk inevitably deteriorated into Quidditch discussions. Hermione sent a suffering look at Severus over the heads of the Weasleys and he smirked at her exasperation.

The Fearsome Foursome shared a look that wasn't as furtive as they undoubtedly thought as the Quidditch talk finally died out, and Hermione nodded at Ron who stepped up in front of Draco.

"It's just a formality but we just have to ask you this," Ron said firmly. "Are you going to betray us to Lord Voldypants, Draco Malfoy?"

"What? No, are you crazy? I've spent a year and a half holed up here all alone just because I like it, is that what you think? I want to help bringing him down, you daft sod!" Draco exclaimed hotly.

Harry stepped closer to him and held out a hand.

"Welcome aboard, then, Draco Malfoy."

Draco tentatively shook his hand.

"That's it? No oath of fealty? No stupid rites in the moonlight? No sacrificial virgins?" Draco said disbelievingly.

"Sorry, we're all out," Ron said with a pointed glance at Hermione who pretended not to notice.

"You get one of these to play with," Hermione said and handed him an enchanted Galleon, demonstrating the communication charms on it. Draco looked impressed.

"The home of Harry Potter is in 12 Grimmauld Place, London," Harry told him clearly.

Severus couldn't believe his ears, the brat just blurting out the secret of the Order's headquarters like that, although it wasn't worded as the Order's headquarters. He swooped in and grabbed Potter by his upper arm, dragging him out of the room into the adjacent bedroom and slamming the door shut.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing, Potter?" he snarled, still holding Potter's arm in a tight grip.

"What needs to be done, Professor," Harry responded evenly. Somehow the brat's calm, open gaze deflated his ire.

"You believe him? Just like that? Your sworn enemy ever since you started school?"

"Yup," Harry said nonchalantly.

"I don't understand you," Severus groaned and closed his eyes.

"We've done things Dumbledore's way, and are still no closer to a resolution. Now we're doing this our way, and we choose to trust Draco. And you, as it were."

Severus groaned again and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yet he couldn't refute the logic, nor the need for the information Draco had.

"You three … four … five … will be the death of me, Potter."

The boy looked straight at him with those startlingly green eyes set in what was so similar to James' face. "Please call me Harry. Potter was my father. I'm not him, believe it or not."

"Yes, I'm starting to see that," Severus said slowly before taking a deep breath. "Fine. I'm not your Professor anymore either, luckily. You know my name."

Harry nodded and they went to rejoin the others.

"Watch the coin for a summons to pizza and plotting," Ron called out as they were about to leave.

"Thanks for the tea," Ginny said politely. "It was good to see you, Draco, you're looking well for a dead bloke."

"Thanks for coming," Draco responded and it looked like he actually meant it.

-x-o-O-o-x-

The coin glowed again a few days later with an invitation for another meeting at Grimmauld Place to go over plans and shared knowledge. He complied reluctantly, and as he arrived he heard Draco's voice drifting down from the library. As he entered the room he saw Draco and Hermione reviewing the Arithmancy equations.

"Here," Hermione said and tapped the parchments with her wand, "have a copy. The originals are charmed to me so that no one can tweak them without my knowledge, and these will only answer to you."

"So this is how you figured out that I was alive?" he asked, looking at the visual representation hovering above the table. Hermione nodded.

"Nothing else made sense, I tried to input your father first but it didn't work at all. But even now there's something off related to you and the Malfoy line, maybe you'd like to look at it?"

Draco agreed to check it out, eager to do something real for a change.

"How does the Dark Mark work, anyway?" Ginny interjected suddenly.

Draco looked up at her with a frown and slowly unbuttoned his shirtsleeve. The mark was black and ugly against his pale skin, writhing like a living thing.

"Can I touch it?" Ginny asked quietly and Draco nodded. She gently touched it with two fingertips and Draco flinched at the contact.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, only when he sends out a summons. I've had to come up with potions to numb the pain, it wouldn't do for me to start showing up again now."

"It's similar to the coins, isn't it? Could we try to change it?"

Hermione moved closer to them but it was Harry that continued the train of thought. "Alter the signal? Or knock them out through the mark?"

"I'll try to look into it," Ginny said decisively.

"What can you tell us about the Death Eaters that we haven't covered?" Ron asked Severus.

They went over the known names, adding more details from both Severus and Draco. Gradually he found himself relaxing, pleased to see Draco being accepted and interacting with the others without any issues, and their open acceptance and sharing of ideas was a novel experience compared to the way both his masters tended to hoard information. It was still hard to see Hermione but she kept her distance as well. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.


	14. Falling Fallen Gone

**Falling Fallen Gone**

Just before the start of the new term at Hogwarts, Kingsley contacted them via the coins to ask for an emergency meeting. The Ministry had fallen, Rufus Scrimgeour was dead and Death Eaters had overtaken the Ministry. Hermione and Harry sent out a mass invite for a meeting that evening, and people started trickling in immediately. The Weasley twins plus Ginny were among the first to arrive along with Remus, Andromeda and Teddy who was happy with all the attention. Luna dropped in soon thereafter, as did Draco to everyone's surprise, but he was accepted into their ranks once people had heard his explanation. Tonks was still at work but would try to come as soon as she and Kingsley were done. Minerva was unable to join, as were Bill and Fleur, but Severus sent a short message that he would join later in the evening.

They all gathered around the dining room table where Kreacher made sure they were all served a rich stew and newly baked bread. The mood was grim but calmer than a regular Order meeting would have been, mainly due to the lack of Moody and Mrs Weasley. Ron and Harry prepared their latest notes as they waited for the others who hopefully would have more information. After what felt like ages, but probably wasn't more than an hour or so, Kingsley and Tonks showed up, grim-faced and dirty. Tonks immediately went to pick up Teddy and both of them soon sported identical bright pink hairdos. Once the newcomers had been served something to eat, Kingsley started telling them what had happened. Apparently several masked Death Eaters had appeared in the Ministry, undoubtedly let in by one of their agents, and immediately killed Rufus Scrimgeour who had managed to take at least one of them down with him. Others had raided the various departments, especially the Magical Law Enforcement with the Auror office and the Department of Magical Transportation to take control over the Floo network.

"I was in the office by chance after my assigned partner went missing when they attacked," Tonks interjected. "It was chaos, hexes and curses everywhere, I'm quite sure a few of the Aurors were on the Death Eaters' side too. Is Yaxley a Death Eater? What about Thicknesse? He seemed completely out of it but tried to tell people to stop fighting."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, Yaxley's been confirmed, we haven't heard anything about Thicknesse though."

"Figures," Kingsley said with a frown. "Once Tonks and I managed to get to safety we figured that it would be better if we observed the dynamics rather than tried to fight. I saw Arthur somewhere in the fight too, I hope he had the sense to stand down."

Harry had been busy scribbling notes on paper as the Aurors spoke and Hermione tried to pull all the information into the Arithmancy matrix to see how this new development would alter the plans. Something was starting to feel a bit wrong, somehow, but she couldn't pinpoint it exactly, just a diffuse heavy weight in her chest.

"Okay, so this means we need to be extra careful, obviously," Ron summarised once everyone had shared what they knew. "Furthermore, I suspect that those of us that are known supporters of Harry will be hunted so all three of us will basically go into hiding. Hogwarts seems reasonably safe for now so Ginny and Luna will be able to return for their final year."

Hermione nodded. It was something they had discussed earlier as contingency planning in case the Ministry fell. Harry would postpone the Auror training and she wouldn't start at St Mungo's. Ron would have to give up his chance at Quidditch but hoped he could get a new opportunity later. _If there is a later. No. There has to be._ Travel would be regulated, especially the Floo network, but Luna and the Weasley twins had already started making emergency Portkeys embedded in various pins, buttons and other easily portable items. Fred and George were also busy with new product development but didn't have anything functional to share yet. Hermione suspected it involved things that would go "bang".

"We aren't able to go after Lord Worrywart yet until we clear out a few loose ends," Harry said. "One of them is called Nagini and is a giant homicidal snake. If anyone has ideas for how to deal with her, we'd be extremely grateful. We might also need to break into a vault at Gringotts at some point."

Kingsley chuckled and wished them luck with that before he had to take off for the evening. Andromeda, Remus and Tonks also left with Teddy who had fallen asleep already, exhausted by all the impressions and by Kreacher who had eagerly helped with his care, apparently happy to have a little one under his roof again. Ginny, Luna and Draco asked to stay and since there was no shortage of bedrooms none of them saw it as a problem. They all settled into the living room, Ginny and Harry furtively snogging on the couch, Luna, Ron and Draco playing Wizarding Chess and Hermione trying to read a novel. The evening passed with no sign of Severus and she became more and more convinced that something was wrong. She didn't feel anything specific from the bond, he must have shielded his emotions off from her, but it was not like him to not show up when he had said he would.

Harry and Ginny snuck off to bed early causing Hermione to hope they wouldn't forget silencing charms this time. Ron left early thereafter, he was planning to swing by the Burrow the next morning to check how his parents were doing, while Draco and Luna played another chess match which Luna won before the blond Slytherin too excused himself. Hermione was too anxious to read but was still grateful for Luna's silent company as she sat in the moss green armchair staring into the fire.

Suddenly the front door crashed open and Mrs Black's portrait started shrieking. Hermione shot up from her seat and rushed to the stairs, wand at the ready with Luna close behind, wondering if they were under attack. She carefully peered down the stairwell but didn't see any movement. Warily, she stepped down the landing and soon she could make out a tangle of black fabric on the floor. As she got closer the pile of cloth resolved into one Severus Snape, lying face down on the floor in Death Eater garb and she flew down the stairs to him.

"Help me levitate him on to a bed," she asked Luna.

They made their way upstairs to the first unoccupied bedroom and Hermione managed to remove his Death Eater robes before they dumped him on top of the bed. She started casting diagnostic spells on him, noting a broken rib, a broken arm and several bleeding wounds across his chest and upper arms. He was bleeding from his mouth too and was shivering from what she suspected was Cruciatus aftershocks. Luna started healing his broken bones without prompting while Hermione tried to stop the worst of the bleeding.

"Don't," he mumbled, trying to swat her hand away.

She glared at him. "I care about you, you daft sod! Now stop fussing and let me help you!"

She swiftly stripped him down to his trousers and called for Kreacher.

"Kreacher is here, Miss Mudblood," the elf said deferentially and flapped his ears at her. She had long since given up on trying to get him to call her something else as long as he kept his tone civil.

"Please fetch me Dittany, Skele-Gro, Restorative, Blood-Replenishing, Bruise balm," she told him rapidly and the elf turned on the spot and promptly returned with the potions. Luna took care of the Dittany while Hermione poured the potions down his throat.

"Memories … Order," he managed to croak and she stilled her hands again.

"Show me," she said reluctantly, recalling the memories he had thrust on her in February. She took his hand in a firm grasp as she leaned over him, meeting his gaze, and felt him slipping inside her mind before pulling her back to his own.

He had indeed been present during the Ministry raid, black sinister robes and mask hiding him from view but his posture and gait were still easy to spot. They had come in through the Floo, a coordinated attack of black-clad terror, hexing visitors and Ministry workers as they swiftly made their way to the first level where Scrimgeour was. Severus had stayed in the background, carefully observing, throwing a few flashy hexes at people when one of his supposed brethren was watching but surreptitiously shielding others when he could. Two Death Eaters led the charge on the Minister while most of the others followed. _"That's Selwyn and Dolohov leading the charge,"_ Severus commented when he sensed her confusion.

The fight was short but brutal and bloody. Rufus Scrimgeour fought like a beast and managed to take down several of the Death Eaters, killing or incapacitating them, but the Death Eaters also made short work of the support staff. Severus seemed to manage to Stun a few of them rather than killing anyone but Bellatrix and someone else noticed and made short work of everyone she saw. Severus and about a third of the group was sent to the Magical Transportation department while most of the rest went off to wreak havoc at the Magical Law Enforcement. He tried to keep things under control while the others were on a rampage, but relatively quickly they subdued the department. A few were killed anyway but most of the workers were cowering at their desks, terrified of the black-clad crowd. Once things were under control, Severus led them back to the Minister's office, leaving a few Death Eaters as guard.

" _I couldn't … couldn't save them,"_ he told her. _"I tried, it's never enough."_

He continued showing the memory of Yaxley, now dressed in his regular office clothing, as he Imperiused Pius Thicknesse and had him take the Minister's office. Dolores Umbridge showed up, simpering at Thicknesse and Yaxley and promising to keep up the good work. They discussed setting up a Muggle-Born Registration office which Dolores eagerly accepted to lead. Her gaze slid past the still masked Death Eaters flanking Thicknesse as if she didn't see them.

" _Who hurt you?"_ she asked him. She could feel his reluctance but eventually he pulled her into another memory, of the Death Eaters reconvening at Malfoy Manor after their success. Most of them were celebrating, bringing in elf-made wine and champagne. Bellatrix was alternating between drinking champagne straight from the bottle and kissing a young Death Eater who most definitely wasn't her husband. The brat looked terrified which Hermione thought was completely warranted.

Voldemort called his Inner Circle for a meeting and a recap of the raid since he wasn't there himself. Dolohov was congratulating himself on taking down Scrimgeour, making it sound like he had singlehandedly defeated the Minister plus at least ten of his minions. Voldemort didn't look too impressed, and after using Legilimency to check for himself he threw a couple Crucios at the man for lying.

Rookwood was next to report. "My Lord, the Trace on your name is now in place. Since only those idiots supporting the Potter brat would dare to use it, this should enable us to catch them quickly. Furthermore, all Floo travel is now under our control."

Voldemort looked pleased and called up the next person.

"Why aren't you dead yet?" Bellatrix hissed at him while they listened to another report.

"Why, I didn't think you were that concerned with my health, Bellatrix?"

She glared at him, arms crossed over her ample bosom, eyes still wild with the high of the hunt. "There's no way you should be this healthy! How is it possible? Did you manage to break the curse after all?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business. But yes, since you ask so nicely, I'm now cured."

"Severuss, what have you to say?" Voldemort asked and turned his attention to him.

"The raid went according to plan, my Lord," he answered.

"I know that already, what of your other areas of interest? Have you no newss for me?"

"There's been no news from Hogwarts, my Lord, and the Order is disorganised and weak."

"What of Potter and his Mudblood girlfriend? Haven't you swayed her yet?" Voldemort was frowning which Hermione suspected wasn't a good sign.

"The timing hasn't been right, my Lord," Severus said and bowed his head which apparently was the wrong thing to do.

"I know the old fool in the tower is near death, you should have killed him by now so that I can take over Hogwarts. Potter's Mudblood should have been turned already, or are you that bad at seduction? Look at me!" Voldemort hissed and entered his mind forcefully.

Second-hand Legilimency turned out to be horribly confusing to Hermione since she was in Severus' own memory of it, but she could sense that he was searching for something in particular related to either Dumbledore or to herself. Cursing her forgetfulness, she remembered that they had discussed setting up a memory of her and Harry arguing about the fact that she was seeing Severus. They'd have to spin it very carefully now that Voldemort was unhappy with Severus' progress.

"Do not disappoint me again, Severuss," Voldemort said in a low, even tone that was somehow worse than if he had shouted.

To make matters worse, Bellatrix stepped forward. "My Lord, I saw Severus shielding people during the raid. He only used Stunners, he didn't kill a single one of them."

"Is that so? _Crucio!_ " Even in the memory, the curse was nearly unbearable.

"No, my Lord, I merely wanted to ensure that your reign goes smoothly," Severus said as he staggered to his feet again.

"Liar! Liar! I bet it was Dumblefuck who set you up with Potter's whore too! You've been on their side all the time!" Bellatrix shrieked. "My Lord, may I punish him, pleeease?"

Voldemort glared at her. "Severus is still loyal, I have seen it in his mind. He is no match for my Legilimency. But since you have done so well today, dear Bella, you may."

Bellatrix cackled and started another round of Cruciatus.

As he pushed her out of his mind she felt dizzy and nauseous and had to close her eyes and take deep breaths in order to not lose her dinner. Concentrating on the newly acquired information, she extracted the memory from her temple and deposited the silvery strand in an empty potion vial. She saw that Luna had fetched Harry in the meantime, both of them waited by the door, looking serious.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked after seeing her pale face.

"I will be," she said after handing him the vial. "Will you handle this? Minerva and Kingsley should be informed, there are names and other details."

Harry nodded and hurried out of the room as she turned back to Severus. He looked much better but there wasn't much she could do about the spasms that still shook him after the Cruciatus.

"Thanks, Luna," she said shakily when the other witch handed her a cup of tea.

"No problem, I'm glad the Professor will be alright. I think the Wrackspurts will go away faster if you touch him. I'll watch him a while for you so that you can get ready for the night."

"Err … thanks, I think?"

She changed into her pyjamas on autopilot and then returned to the room. She didn't recall that the bed had been that wide earlier, but there was plenty of room for her next to Severus. Luna had even brought in a second pillow and blanket for her. He was asleep or unconscious but it seemed like he was able to relax a little more when she snuggled up close to him, a hand over his chest and her leg slung over his knee. Her own worry for him receded slowly as she was able to hear his steady breathing and feel the tension slowly ebb from his muscles.

When she awoke the next morning, she was nestled in his arms, pulled close to his chest. He was either still asleep or very good at faking it, but unfortunately her need for a bathroom break got too large and she had to struggle out of his embrace. When she returned, he was already getting dressed again.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Hermione spent the day in the War Room, trying to make all the information fit within the Arithmancy matrix together with Draco. Ron and Harry were also busy going over the information they had, while Ginny and Luna had gone to Diagon Alley to get their supplies for their last school year. Both of them returned in the evening and they all settled in with another one of Kreacher's pizza creations, now with chicken, pineapple, bananas, curry powder, kale and cashews.

"It's time to step up the game," Ron said half muffled by a large pizza slice. "What can we do that's totally unexpected?"

Harry nodded. "He would expect us to stage a large fight at either the Ministry or Hogwarts. That's what he seems to be planning and it makes sense for him to think we would too."

"At a significant date, like Halloween or Christmas or something like that," Ginny added and helped herself to another Butterbeer.

"So we should go there on like a Tuesday afternoon on a random date," Ron mused.

"We need to lure as many of the Death Eaters away as possible. Can we stage a diversion? Get the rest of the DA and the Order to cause havoc somewhere?" Harry asked.

"At the Ministry?" Ron continued.

"They'll just Apparate back when Windypants calls them through the Mark," Hermione said with a frown.

Ginny had done some experimenting on the Dark Mark but needed to work on it more. Hermione suggested asking Professor Flitwick but Ginny said she'd rather start with Bill since he was quite good at both curses and charms.

-x-o-O-o-x-

"It's obvious, you can't handle love," Hermione sang off-key as she stacked the dishes much to Kreacher's dismay, either over her singing or the fact that she was doing his job. The others were coming down the stairs too for an impromptu hot chocolate with Marshmallows.

"Love …" Harry mused as he handed her another stack of plates. "Dumbledore always goes on about the power of love. Hermione, are love potions poisonous?"

"In too large doses, yes," she responded absentmindedly.

Ron and Draco had entered the kitchen too behind Harry when they heard the pair talking.

"You want to dose Lord Nosemort with a love potion?" Draco said disbelievingly. "The Amortentia then, it's the strongest. How would you get him to drink it?"

Ron started laughing.

"I dunno, shoot him?" Harry said.

"With Cupid's arrows?" Hermione said and dissolved into giggles too. Ron looked confused but Harry and Draco grinned.

"Seriously, would you two be able to brew Amortentia?" Harry asked Hermione and Draco. "It's just a hunch but I'd like to test it."

Hermione frowned as she tried to recall their inventory. "We can brew it but I think we need some supplies. It's a difficult brew but I don't think it needs to sit for a long time, not like Polyjuice."

Hermione and Draco had made short work on the Order's potions requests and a few experimental potions. She had found that she actually was starting to like the blond prat now that he was out of school and they didn't resort to House rivalries. He was eager for company and something to do now after a year in seclusion with only the occasional visit by Severus, and had told her a lot about his upbringing and family during their brewing or Arithmancy sessions.

-x-o-O-o-x-

A few days later their coins glowed again with a question from Draco.

"Granger, you were right," he said as soon as they had made their way to the War Room. "Have a look."

He pulled out his copy of the Arithmancy equations and visualised them over the table alongside hers. They hovered in the air like a hologram, an eerily orange spindly network connecting people and places and showing probabilities of meetings and events, fanning out into uncertainty the farther into the future they stretched.

"It didn't make sense until I added both my parents back. It seems that now with me taking on a more active role we might have a chance to turn Father too. Look what happens if we don't."

He tapped a rune with his wand and the equations morphed, slowly settling on a rather large skirmish in Malfoy Manor with many deaths on both sides. Hermione shuddered, seeing in stark orange the reality of their situation. She had managed to shut out the morbid reality of the war for quite a long time, not thinking about people actually dying or getting hurt.

"This is if Father isn't turned to our side. Look what happens if we can win him over."

He did it again and most of the death runes disappeared.

Harry squinted at the equations as if that would help make sense of them. "But do you think it's really possible? No offense but your father has always been a strong believer in the cause."

Draco nodded slowly. "He has nothing to live for right now. If I take a stance against Lord No-Nose I think he will do what he can to get me back. His loyalty has always been more to the Malfoy family than to anything else."

Harry snorted at the name. Draco had quickly followed suit in their naming strategy.

"What's Narcissa's role in all this?" Hermione asked him.

Draco looked up at her. "She knows I'm alive so she's holed herself up in the Mansion, refusing to see anyone so that she doesn't betray me. Mother has never cared about the Death Eater propaganda although she has played the part of a proper wife to one."

"Will she help us?"

"I think so," he said slowly. "She'll want me to survive."

-x-o-O-o-x-

Ginny cornered her later, the day before she was due to leave on the Hogwarts Express, and pulled her into the library, away from listening boys.

"We did it!" she squeaked happily.

"Did what?" Hermione asked, confused.

Ginny looked at her as if she was dumb. "Harry and I. And we used Andromeda's spell so now we're soulbound too, plus look at this!"

Ginny thrust forward her left hand where a sparkling ring could be seen.

"Uh … wow, congratulations? You're engaged?"

"Thanks, it was great!" Ginny said excitedly. "And yes!"

"No details, please!"

"You're no fun!" Ginny complained with a mock pout.

"Sorry, but Harry's like my brother, and you're like a sister to me and I don't want to picture my siblings in bed!" Hermione protested.

Ginny just laughed at her as the boys came in to join them, Harry blushing slightly. Thoughts of them together, and of the soulbond, inevitably turned to thoughts of Severus and their own bond. They hadn't spoken of what had happened during the night of the Ministry raid, of the way they had fallen asleep together, of how right it felt. She could only hope that he felt the same.


	15. Comfortably Numb

**Comfortably Numb**

He was beyond fed up with the war, the Dark Lord, spying, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Bloody Dumbledore and the Order, and not to mention Potions teaching. Somehow he found solace in the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, together with the troublemakers, whenever he was able to escape from the castle. He spent long hours in the basement lab, doing routine brewing and some research, and took up station in an old armchair in the corner of the library, reading Potions journals while the others bickered over the table. Draco and Hermione sometimes joined him in the lab, brewing other potions or preparing ingredients. Both of them were shaping up nicely, so perhaps his teaching career wasn't completely wasted after all.

He hadn't really properly talked to Hermione about the bond and their completely messed up situation. After the Ministry raid it must have been pure luck that let him Apparate to Grimmauld Place in one piece as he was barely conscious enough to remember where to go. He had vaguely noticed someone picking him up, undressing him and tending to his wounds, and he did recall pushing the memories onto Hermione. He felt a bit guilty about that since he hadn't been coherent enough to shield her from the worst, but she and Potter had assured him the next day that those that needed it got the information. He'd slept soundly once the memories were dealt with and only in the early hours of morning did he realise that he had his arms full of sleeping witch. After disentangling himself for a quick bathroom visit he couldn't resist but to return to the bed and mold his body to hers again, falling asleep with his nose full of bushy hair and her personal scent. It did felt right, holding her. He'd feigned sleep when he woke up before her again later in the morning, content just to let the status quo be, not wanting to be the one to break the fragile peace.

Next in the line of ever crazier plans was apparently that the gang wanted him to pass a message from Draco to his father. He agreed reluctantly since Lucius already knew Draco lived, and that would show him that Severus hadn't lied about his son's survival. Besides, it seemed that the Trio or however many they were actually had good instincts, at least so far, in figuring out what to do to bring the events closer to a resolution.

And now this. He might have to rescind any favourable thoughts he had ever had about their planning skills. Hermione stood in front of him in the library with a list of Potions ingredients she had asked him to purchase, backed by Harry's galleons.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you seriously taking the time in the middle of a war to brew a love potion? All because Harry had a hunch?"

"Unless you already have some in stock that we could use, yes. I need Ashwinder eggs, Moonstone and Pearl Dust, I think we have the rest."

He looked down his nose at her in his best Potions Master mode. "You are not to brew it alone. Amortentia is a difficult potion to brew, I will not let you do it unless I supervise."

"Fine," she sighed. "It's a date. Let me know when you're available."

-x-o-O-o-x-

"Care for a game, Professor?" Ron asked him one Friday evening, pointing to the wizarding chess board. He'd already beaten Harry twice, Hermione refused to play, claiming it was too violent.

"Please do," Harry interjected, "I'm tired of being trounced."

Grumbling he got up from the armchair and tossed the latest Potions Monthly on the side table. The black chess pieces cheered as he approached and sat down opposite Ron. After a cautious opening, he found that he actually had to think about what he was doing as the young Weasley seemed to anticipate his moves. He had seen him play against Harry and even Draco once, winning soundly, but he had thought that he knew Ron's strategy by then. As the game wore on, to longer and longer pauses between each move, the rest of the gang sidled up to watch them. He was nearly sweating by the time he managed to corner Ron and declare check mate. The ginger lad groaned and rose before offering his hand in a handshake.

"Good game, Professor. Thank you."

Severus nodded. "Well played. I'm not your Professor either now, call me Severus."

Ron flushed red. It really didn't suit him. "Uh, certainly. You'd better call me Ron, there are too many Weasleys around anyway."

Severus nodded.

"Care for a rematch?" Ron asked, but before Severus could answer he felt his left arm burn.

They'd been able to stage a very believable fight between Hermione and Harry that he had just happened to overhear, and that memory together with reports from the last Order meeting after the Ministry raid was sufficient to make his vicious master pleased with him yet again. It helped that Bella was somewhere else. Apparently things were going well at the Ministry, a certain Dolores Umbridge was proving to be highly useful in carrying out the Dark Lord's plans although she wasn't Marked herself. The Aurors were more or less under their control as far as the Dark Lord knew, a few outspoken protesters had been sacked which made the rest fall in line, with Kingsley and Tonks keeping their heads down. He didn't stop to talk to the others once he was dismissed from the meeting, but asked one of the Malfoy elves to deliver Draco's letters to Lucius in secret.

-x-o-O-o-x-

He hadn't seen Albus at all since right after the Ministry raid, neither in the Great Hall for meals nor in the staffroom for their regular staff meetings that now Minerva held. It was increasingly obvious that he would not last much longer, and that both Hogwarts and the war needed to be handled by others. She kept him updated on the status of the Order which seemed to be more or less imploding without Albus. Severus had, via Minerva and Kingsley, recommended that they focus on saving Muggleborns from persecution, but he didn't know if anyone had actually acted on it. Molly was worried about all her kids and flew off the handle at the slightest provocation, Moody was brooding as usual, and the others were not very good at coming up with strategic plans. The ones that were also part of the team around Potter and the gang kept quiet about their extracurricular activities.

As he sat grading Potions essays in his office one Tuesday evening, trying to make a dent in the pile of atrociousness and for the umpteenth time cursing himself for assigning so many essays, all of a sudden his room lit up with a flash of golden red as Fawkes appeared with an affronted squawk. The bird landed on his desk, on top of the pile, and peered at him with first one eye and then the other. Severus got the impression that he was being judged, somehow. The bird appeared to have made up his mind and squawked at him again, this time conveying something that sounded suspiciously like impatience. Severus rose hesitantly.

"Is it Albus?" he asked, and got the distinct impression of the bird sighing and rolling his eyes at him, of course it was Albus. He nodded and made for the door only to be chirped at again. _Great. Now a chicken with an attitude is bossing me around as well._ Fawkes turned around and fanned out his tail, presenting his tail feathers to Severus who finally caught on and grabbed hold. The castle zoomed past him, as if he and Fawkes were standing still and everything else moved to accommodate them, walls and all, until the bird deposited him next to Albus' opulent bed. He'd been in the Headmaster's bedroom only once before, when Albus had contracted another nasty curse several years back and Severus had to perform yet another magical miracle to save him, but this time the contrast between the boisterously Gryffindor coloured tapestries, the baroque furniture with way too much gold and too many cherubs, the myriad odd contraptions that ticked and tocked and seemed to move when no one was looking at them, and the frail old man propped up by a mountain of Gryffindor themed pillows in his overlarge bed, was hard to stomach.

"Ah, there you are, my boy," Albus said, his voice weak but at least it sounded as if he was mentally there.

"Albus. Fawkes seemed to say I should see you."

"Ah, yes, he's very perceptive. Have a seat, Severus. I do not have much energy, and much to tell you."

Severus dragged a chair closer and sat down, and Fawkes perched on the headrest right by his head.

"I do not have long, Severus. I've extracted various memories for you and Minerva, they're all in the cabinet by the Pensieve. My will is in the office desk. No, don't protest, we both know what's coming."

"I'm truly sorry, Albus."

"I'm old and weary, and the only thing you could be sorry for is that you didn't kill me when I asked, Severus."

"Now that is the one thing I will never regret, and both of us know you could have done something about it should you not want to live any longer."

"True, true. Before I forget, there's something I must tell you, that you must tell Harry when the time is right. You still see him occasionally, don't you?"

Severus nodded. Albus knew about his trips to Grimmauld Place under the pretext of helping out with Potions for the Order. "Unfortunately, yes."

Albus seemed to focus on something distant as he began to speak. "On the night Lord Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Harry, and Lily Potter cast herself between them, the curse rebounded. When that happened, a part of Voldemort's soul latched itself onto the only living thing it could find. Harry himself. There's a reason Harry can speak with snakes. There's a reason he can look into Lord Voldemort's mind. A part of Voldemort lives inside him."*

Severus was completely stunned. That was not what he had expected. Not at all. He tried to process it and pinched the bridge of his nose before exhaling shakily.

"So when the time comes... the boy must die?"

Albus looked calm and serene and had closed his eyes as if he was about to fall asleep again. "Yes. Yes... he must die. And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential."

He tried to make sense of this but couldn't. His thoughts were buzzing erratically in all directions but nothing but static came through. "I thought… all these years… that we were protecting him for her. For Lily."

"We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength," said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut. "Meanwhile, the connection between them grows ever stronger, a parasitic growth: Sometimes I have thought he suspects it himself. If I know him, he will have arranged matters so that when he sets out to meet his death, it will truly mean the end of Voldemort."

Severus didn't remember rising from his chair, fighting the bile in his throat. Only the fact that it was considered bad form to shout at people at their deathbeds restrained him from taking the old manipulative wizard to task. "You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?... You have used me… I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter…"

Albus peered at him over his half-moon glasses. "Don't tell me now that you've grown to care for the boy."

Severus looked down at the old frail wizard, so near death's door but still able to turn everything upside down, apparently. Fawkes started singing, a sorrowful tune.

"Goodbye, Albus. I have nothing kind to say to you at the moment, so I shall say nothing. Maybe one day in the future I will forgive you, in the unlikely event that I live past this wretched war."

Albus nodded slowly and closed his eyes, apparently exhausted again. "Goodbye, Severus, my boy. I'm sorry I have failed you once again when you have done all I asked for and more. Could you please send in Minerva?"

He left the room, by the door this time, and didn't look back, hearing Fawkes' song far longer than what should have been possible through the thick stone walls.

Since it was way too late to go for a run and he was too agitated to sleep or grade essays, he went down to the lab to brew some stock potions for the Infirmary as the cold and flu season was approaching. Although he could do them in his sleep, the effort of keeping six cauldrons going simultaneously still made his mind go blank, forcing him to let go of the fury and worry lest he blow himself up. Once he finally managed to crash into bed for a few hours of sleep his mind was clearer and a decision had solidified.

The next evening, he made his way to Grimmauld Place again. Hermione invited him to the dining room where she sat with a cup of tea and a stack of books, but he declined and asked all three of them to meet up with him in the library. They gathered around him expectantly, waiting for him to tell them what was up. He closed his eyes. Damn Albus. How do you tell someone they have to die to save the rest of the world? Why did the blasted old codger leave the task to him, why hadn't he told him earlier, after all they had spent time together regularly, one-on-one?

He took a deep breath and dove right into it, addressing Harry.

"There's something I learnt yesterday that I must share with you. I think it would be easiest to show you. Would you happen to have a Pensieve?"

Harry nodded and went to fetch it. He had asked Kingsley to help with buying one. Severus concentrated on the memory of last evening and pulled out the thin, wispy memory strands and deposited them in the bowl, gesturing to Harry to dive in. The boy did so, and if the look he gave him before dipping his head in the bowl was anything to go by, Harry already had some idea of what was to come.

"I'm sorry," he said once Harry had surfaced and felt somewhat surprised at himself for actually meaning it.

"Thank you for telling me," Harry said, his voice grim. "This changes nothing."

Harry asked for Ron and Hermione to watch the memories as well. Ron surfaced looking as if he was about to blow a fuse, and Hermione had tears tracking down her cheeks. He itched to wipe them away but stilled his hands.

"So, I'm a Horcrux," Harry half whispered to himself and rubbed his scar. "Why didn't he tell me himself?"

"Remember that with Albus, one always has to look beyond the obvious to figure out what he actually means," Severus said.

"But still, this is horrible!" Ron said.

"Look, all of you, please don't tell Ginny or anyone outside this room. I know I said full disclosure but this … this I can't tell her," Harry said.

Hermione launched herself at Harry, hugging him tightly. Severus left the room, feeling her sorrow through the bond.

-x-o-O-o-x-

He'd brought the Potions ingredients that Hermione wanted for the Order potions and that ridiculous idea to brew Amortentia, of all things. At least they could sell the vials for a nice sum to the right buyer. He already knew what Amortentia smelled like to him, a mixture of parchment, the smell of flame on a hot cauldron, and Lily's scent of magnolia and lily-of-the-valley.

"Come, let's sort out the potion for that ridiculous idea of yours," he told her after they all had shared some tea and brooding in the dining room.

They walked downstairs to the labs. Hermione started setting up a small golden cauldron and workstation while he perched on a tall stool in the corner, silently watching.

"Do you have the recipe?" he asked and she nodded, of course, showing him the standard instructions. He pointed out a few adjustments that helped for an easier brew, and helped her prep the ingredients.

He felt himself slip back into lecture mode. "As you are aware, Amortentia is a highly potent potion. It is dangerous to brew both due to the very nature of the mixture, and due to the precise timing required when adding ingredients. Furthermore, the fumes that arise while brewing can mess with the brewer's mind, so it is necessary to brew under a Bubble-Head Charm and you must also use dragon-hide gloves and protective clothing."

She nodded, of course she knew that already, and had already started donning protective gear.

"The Bubble-Head charm isn't needed until the third stage, right?"

"Indeed, but it is easy to forget since that is a time critical step. You might be better off to use it from the start, so that you don't forget."

It had been quite some time since he last brewed Amortentia so purely from an academic standpoint, he enjoyed the exercise. That's what he told himself anyway, refusing to admit that it in any way had to do with the young witch in charge of the brewing, completely focussed on the way the fumes rose from the cauldron and the precise timing of each stir and counter-stir. He only had to step in during that third stage when the Ashwinder eggs were to be added as they were notoriously finicky and prone to bursting into flames at the slightest provocation.

When the brewing was complete and the swirling steam rose from the pearlescent brew, exactly as it should, the relief and pride he felt for his young witch was mirrored in the broad smile on her face. However, when the spiralling steam hit his overlarge nose he wondered if they had made a mistake or used bad ingredients, as it now seemed to smell of old books, a flame under a bronze cauldron, rose and jasmine. He shook his head and snorted to clear his nose, telling himself that it must have been due to him removing the Bubble-Head Charm too early.

-x-o-O-o-x-

The next evening, Albus slipped into a coma, and he died in the early hours of morning a week later. The castle woke up to the Headmaster's phoenix singing a haunting lament for his companion.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A/N * This section uses quotes from the Deathly Hallows, chapter The Prince's Tale with some quotes from IMDB since I was too lazy to dig out the book myself.


	16. What's The Colour Of Your Soul

**What** **'s The Colour Of Your Soul**

The news of the Headmaster's death hit Harry hard although it was rather obvious from Severus' memories what state Dumbledore had been in. Even so, Hermione supposed that Harry was mainly upset about the fact that Dumbledore hadn't called for Harry to come and see him before his death, as he had with Severus and Minerva. Hermione could only try to support her friend, suggesting they go to the funeral which was to be held at Hogwarts the Friday after Dumbledore's death. Ron had argued that they would have to be disguised, but Harry had insisted to go as himself, saying that Hogwarts was the safest place in the country and they would be surrounded by loads of Order members and DA participants in case someone tried to act up.

After the Ministry takeover they had been extremely busy trying to plan for various scenarios including how to break into Gringotts to check Bellatrix' vault. It was still highly possible that the goblet was somewhere else and this was just a false lead, but Harry and Ron argued that they had to check it out. Ron and Harry had also spent long hours with the Weasley twins who, in Hermione's opinion, had too much fun demonstrating their latest and greatest inventions. She had to admit that they were skilled, however, and they had immediately launched into trialling various mechanisms for shooting someone with Amortentia in a way that would be relatively failsafe both to use and to carry around. She had absolutely vetoed setting up anything resembling a ballista, trebuchet or catapult, and vaguely regretted not being able to ask her war veteran uncle for advice. It would probably not have been a good idea to call him up and ask what you would do if you wanted to inject an evil dictator with a love potion; he would ask way too many questions. Blowdarts had been discussed, as had potion-laced bullets and small crossbows.

She hadn't seen much of Severus after their brewing session which had been an amazing experience, him letting her brew it almost by herself, offering quiet support and new insights where needed. Draco had been rather jealous afterwards that he had missed it, but Hermione was secretly glad to have had the Potions Master all to herself. The potion had smelled of parchment and old books, sandalwood and herbs with a musky undertone.

-x-o-O-o-x-

The day of the funeral dawned and Hermione, Ron and Harry Apparated under Harry's cloak to the Hogwarts gates where they were met by Minerva who looked more exhausted than usual. Apparently she had tried to offer the Deputy Headmaster title to Severus who had categorically refused, and so instead Septima Vector and Filius Flitwick were new co-Deputies. The ceremony was held outdoors, the late September Scottish weather cooperating for once, and many rows of benches had been arranged for all invited on the lawn near the lake. All Hogwarts students and professors were seated on the right-hand side in front of the marble slate upon which the Headmaster's body was placed, clad in resplendent purple robes and surrounded by flowers of all sorts. The other half of the benches held assorted friends and acquaintances such as Ministry officials, Wizengamot members, Order members and the Weasley clan, and all sorts of other people that Hermione didn't recognise. She immediately spotted Severus sitting in the front-most row with the other Heads of Houses and Deputies, and could feel the bond humming when she got closer.

Hermione, Ron and Harry were invited by Minerva to join the professors on the rows in front of the students who stared at them wide-eyed as they walked down the aisle to take their seats. Ginny and Luna were seated directly behind them, Luna wearing Ravenclaw's diadem which she had adorned with dangling wine corks, tinsel and a few leaves for good measure.

"Hi Luna," Hermione said and hugged her across the bench. "Nice headdress, hasn't anyone said anything about it?"

Luna shrugged. "People see what they want to see."

"What's with the wine corks?" Harry asked.

"Not everything must have a purpose, you know," Luna responded.

Harry chuckled and hugged her too, sneaking Ginny over to sit next to them.

The ceremony was hauntingly beautiful, with the Merpeople in the lake singing and the Centaurs coming out of the Forest to pay their respect. Minerva spoke about his deeds as Headmaster and the legacy he would leave behind, while a tiny wizard with frizzy white hair spoke about his early days and his deeds at the Wizengamot as Supreme Mugwump. He was interrupted by a beautifully eerie song by the Beauxbatons delegation, to most people's relief. As the song came to an end, Fawkes the phoenix flew in and took up the tune, weaving it into a beautiful lament as he lit down on the Headmaster's chest, his reddish wings fanned out.

Suddenly the bird lit himself on fire, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the audience. Flames fanned his body, spreading down his wings and tail feathers, and soon taking root along the marble slate itself. The flames rose higher and higher, surrounding the body of the Headmaster and the bird, until the brightness and heat caused everyone in the audience to avert their eyes. When the light faded, a white marble tomb rose where the slate had been, and the bird was nowhere to be seen.

"I will join you on Sunday," Luna declared suddenly.

"Errr …" Harry began.

She nodded and looked at him with those impossibly large blue eyes of hers. "It's necessary, Harry, I'll make sure the Nargles stay away."

Harry capitulated, drawing a hand through his already messy hair. Ginny put her hands on her hips and glared at her boyfriend until he sheepishly promised to explain everything to her.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Hermione's grandparents had a cottage in south Wales that they rarely visited anymore due to illness and mobility issues, in a very rural location up in the hills, and she had called them to confirm she could borrow it for the weekend. It was a grey two-storey stone cottage with a slate roof, situated near a brook overlooking a meadow. The garden looked a bit overgrown and the building was also in need of some care, and Hermione had promised that they'd do what they could for it during the weekend, which was easy enough with magic as there were no neighbours within sight.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco arrived before lunchtime on Saturday already for the final preparations. Hermione started setting up complex wards while Ron, Harry and Draco got started on the cottage and garden. Soon the grass was cut, woodsmoke rose from the chimney, the rose bushes were trimmed back and the weeds whacked, and they shared a lunch of Kreacher's sandwiches in the garden.

"It's as if there isn't any war here," Harry remarked and nabbed another sandwich.

Draco nodded. "Yeah, this is what it should have been like for us growing up, none of this nonsense with maniacs trying to kill us."

The cottage had two bedrooms, and by majority vote (the boys against her) Hermione got the master bedroom while Ron and Harry shared the guest bedroom with two twin beds and Draco took the sofa downstairs. They'd cleaned up the inside of the cottage as well, and Draco had even carried out some structural repairs on the walls and roof, claiming that he had picked up a thing or two during his enforced isolation. Draco had been most intrigued by some of the old items in the cottage, such as the old manual coffee grinder and her grandmother's spinning wheel.

She felt oddly wistful as she prepared for bed in her grandparents' cottage, the place where she had spent many summer weeks during her childhood, but now she was an adult and her grandparents weren't there, instead she was using it as a strategic piece in a war she never asked to participate in. Although she did consider Harry to be her brother, and she even admitted to liking Draco now that he had grown out of the worst of his prattishness, it still felt wrong to be in the cottage with them and not with the one person she actually wanted to be with, her bondmate. Absentmindedly she rubbed her sternum, trying to catch a hint of his feelings, but apart from a vague sense of general irritation she didn't manage to sense anything. He was alive at least, and as well as could be expected. It was enough. It had to be, until they managed to topple the other of his insane masters. She had done her best to give him space even when what she wanted most of all was to throw herself at him.

They spent the next morning getting on each other's nerves. Ron went to fetch Luna while Harry paced in the kitchen until Hermione threw him out to count sheep or something, and Draco fretted in a corner.

Lucius Malfoy had been given a wizarding photo of an area and told to Apparate there alone at a certain time, then met by a disguised Nymphadora Tonks who took him Side-Along to a windswept beach before giving him a Portkey. The whole journey had taken less than five minutes and he looked a bit dishevelled by the time he arrived to tentatively knock on the front door. As agreed, Ron and Harry hid in the kitchen while Luna and Hermione were Disillusioned at the top of the stairs, as Draco opened the door and pulled his father into the house.

Of all the things she had ever thought to experience, seeing Lucius Malfoy, aristocrat with a thousand years of accumulated breeding, cry in her grandmother's cottage as he clung to his son was not one of them.

"Father," Draco said formally.

"How …" Lucius whispered, hugging his son again.

"Will you listen, Father?"

"You're alive," his father breathed. "I buried you."

"Yes," Draco said quietly.

Lucius calmed himself down somewhat, releasing Draco who handed him a handkerchief.

"Father. I couldn't go through with it, you understand? I chose to leave the path you had set me on. There are some things I need to tell you and there are some others here that would like to talk to you. Will you stay?"

Lucius looked at him before finally nodding and finding his voice again. "I will listen, Draco. What others?"

Harry sauntered in from the kitchen, nodding politely at Draco who stepped closer to his former nemesis.

"Good afternoon, Lord Malfoy. Tea?"

Lucius was at a complete loss for words before he finally started to laugh. "This was not what I had expected. You voluntarily talk to me?"

"Just to be clear," Harry told him. "You can of course see the risk we're taking here, right? This place is warded with anti-Apparition wards and several other interesting surprises so don't bother trying to do anything rash. It's not a place we usually frequent, either."

Luna was already halfway down the stairs, and Hermione scrambled to keep up just as Ron entered from the kitchen.

"Hello, Mr Malfoy," Luna was saying. "I see you have started to think for yourself. The wrackspurts are looking a bit unhappy. That's good."

Even impeccable upbringing couldn't hinder the elder Malfoy's eyebrow from hiking up towards his hairline at Luna's statements.

"Err, hello, Mr Malfoy," Hermione hurried to say.

"Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, Miss … Lovegood, is it? You resemble your mother."

Luna nodded and took a seat in the leather armchair by the fireplace, clearly content not to be a main part in the discussion while Harry went to fetch the tea he had mentioned earlier.

Draco began to talk. "You have a choice, Father. Either continue like you have, supporting that madman formerly known as Tom Riddle, squandering our fortune on his cause and alienating your family, or help us bring him down. I have basically given my life already for this. If you choose to betray us to Lord Moldynose you will never see me again. This is not a threat, it's my word as a Malfoy. Don't try to wiggle out of it either by selling out any of the others, I don't just mean me."

Lucius closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to get his equilibrium back. "What about your mother?" he asked hoarsely.

"She already knows I'm alive," Draco said. "I sent her proof last autumn, that's why she has withdrawn from everything."

Harry had poured tea and took a seat at the dining table, next to Draco. Lucius sat opposite his son, while Hermione seated herself by the short end, not quite comfortable with sitting next to him. Ron remained standing behind Harry.

"It's still your choice, Mr Malfoy," Harry said. "We don't mean to blackmail you. If you say now that you won't help us we will Obliviate you and everything will go back to how it was before you knew Draco was still alive. If you say you will help us bring Lord Moldypants down we will do what we can to help you and yours too afterwards, if we win."

Lucius was still for a long while, looking at his son while he seemed to be fighting with himself.

"Yes. I will do it. You are right, Draco. I have seen it as well but didn't see how I could get out of the mess I had placed myself and my family in. On my honour as a Malfoy I will help you, Harry Potter and your friends, to bring the Dark Lord down."

"Good," Harry said and held out his hand. "Welcome aboard, Mr Malfoy."

"Call me Lucius," the older man said and shook his arch enemy's hand. Oddly, no one exploded.

"Harry," he countered.

Hermione set him up with a coin and demonstrated how it worked.

"We need information about the Mansion and anything you can think of related to Lord Scalymort," Ron said.

Lucius took a deep breath and started talking. Wards, the Mansion's layout, old magics and anything he could think of related to the Death Eaters. Hermione was busy capturing everything in the Arithmancy matrix with Ron taking notes and Draco adding anything she missed. Harry and Ron interjected questions, trying to figure out a good plan for entry and disposal of a certain Dark Lord.

"Will you consent to placing the memories of this meeting under a Memory Block?" Hermione asked him. "We don't want your dear No-Nose Mafia Boss to know about this, for obvious reasons. I have found a charm that will trigger only if someone tries to use Legilimency on you, rendering the memory hazy like a dream. It can be reset by saying the correct password afterwards."

"Mafia boss?" Ron asked, confused.

"Muggle thing," Harry interjected.

"If Draco does it," Lucius agreed reluctantly.

"Hermione is better at it," Draco objected.

"Please, Draco."

Draco nodded and stood beside his father who closed his eyes as his son cast the incantation. It was relatively complex but should hopefully keep their secrets, and by extension Lucius himself, safe.

"Be careful, Father, especially around dear aunt Bella. Try not to look too happy now, she will notice."

Lucius nodded. "I'll see if I can reconcile with Cissy, that should explain any change in mood others would see."

"Good, tell her I'm fine," Draco said.

"Thank you," he said quietly to his son.

"It will be worth it in the end, you will see it soon enough," Luna told him.

Lucius nodded again and closed his eyes briefly. "It is already worth it. Good luck to all of you."


	17. Obesa Cantavit

**Obesa Cantavit**

Their discussion with Lucius had made it clear that they really needed to find a way to break into Gringotts, although they still weren't sure that the final non-living Horcrux would actually be there. Hermione was trying to get the Arithmancy equations to comply but so far the best they had managed was a one-in-five chance of success if they wanted to make it out alive. Bill Weasley and Kingsley were invited to help with the planning, Bill for his obvious Gringotts connections and Kingsley since he was an intelligent wizard with lots of contacts. They sat down in the dining room, sharing one of Kreacher's cherry pies with whipped cream and some tea.

Bill rubbed his scars tiredly. "So, let me recap. You're saying you want to break into the safest place in the Wizarding world, into the vault of one of the most powerful families that just happens to belong to one of the craziest witches in the country, and potentially steal an invaluable object from it, without detection?"

"Yep, sounds about right," Harry said cheerily and dug into his slice of pie.

Kingsley started laughing, a deep, rich sound that made Hermione feel oddly happy. "Well, if anyone's able to do the impossible around here it would be you. Anyway, it is clear that brute force will never work so you are going to have to trick your way in."

Bill nodded. "I would like to keep my job, as well, if possible. I'm reasonably friendly with some of the clerks there so I can try to see if one of them would be willing to turn a blind eye."

"I think I might still have access to the vault for deposits and limited withdrawals, they probably didn't think to remove me since I should be dead but the goblins know I'm not," Draco interrupted. "My father definitely does have access but I don't think we can use him for this."

"Well that might improve things," Kingsley said slowly. "But first of all, I think Bill and I need to know what you're looking for, why you need it and why you think whatever it is lies in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault?"

Hermione and Harry shared a look before Harry nodded slowly and started telling them what they had learnt about the Horcruxes and Tom Riddle's history. Both Bill and Kingsley looked astonished and slightly nauseous as they learnt exactly why they needed to gain access to the vault. According to Bill there was a blanket ban on Dark artefacts in all vaults that had never been enforced, but they could at least use that as an excuse for what they needed to do. Kingsley said he couldn't very well participate actively at Gringotts but he would try to keep the Aurors in the background as needed, and Bill would talk to one of his goblin colleagues. Draco seemed to be their best bet but at the same time he couldn't just waltz in there undisguised.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Griphook the goblin was, in Hermione's opinion, not very nice. Of course she wasn't able to say if that was true for goblins in general of if he had practised. She suspected that meeting the general Wizarding public day out and day in at work didn't really help with his demeanour. Ron and Hermione met with him and Bill at Gringotts in one of their back offices a couple of days after their planning session. Griphook had ushered them into a side office where he sat behind an overlarge dark walnut desk on a raised chair while the visitors got low stools that had them almost straining to peer over the edge of the desk. The office was cluttered with parchment and old tomes in the multitude of shelves along the walls, dusty and dark. Bill stood behind both of them, bringing him to eye level with the goblin.

"You want a deal, you say, yet you have nothing to offer me," Griphook said, peering over his steepled hands.

Hermione nodded. They had already discussed what they wanted to do, and didn't have much to bargain with to get the goblin and Bill to risk their livelihood for them. She suspected that Gringotts didn't look too favourably on employees that facilitated theft from one of the vaults, even if it was for the Greater Good. _Hah, I_ _'m starting to sound like Professor Dumbledore,_ she thought before trying to focus on what they were actually discussing.

"There is one thing …" Griphook said.

"What is it?" Ron asked immediately, too eagerly.

Griphook snarled at him. Perhaps that was his regular smile?

"Bellatrix Lestrange has in her vault the Sword of Gryffindor. I want it."

"How can she have the Sword of Gryffindor? I thought it was in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts? And it's not ours to give away in any case," Hermione asked, confused.

"It is here, and that is my price," the goblin said impatiently.

Ron leaned forward and put his hand on her knee, obviously not wanting her to argue with him.

"We accept," he said firmly. "If the sword is in the vault, you may have it."

Griphook smiled and flared his nostrils. "Most excellent."

-x-o-O-o-x-

Monday morning dawned bright and early, too early for Ron's taste apparently as he seemed half asleep until the Trio plus Draco made their way to the Weasley twins' shop, hoods drawn up high on their travel cloaks as they hurried from the Apparition point. Harry and Draco managed to hide under Harry's cloak with a minimum of bickering, as it wouldn't be a very good idea if either of them were seen.

Hermione hadn't seen the twins' latest updates to their store. They had enlarged the building, creating new sections for costumes, beauty products, celebrations, general pranks, defence and edibles, with gadgets and items crammed into every possible corner. The twins had a large flat above the store as well as a workshop for new product experiments, which is where they congregated while George set up some tea and breakfast muffins. Hermione was grateful for the tea but was too nervous to eat much unlike Ron who finally seemed to have woken up.

"I still think you'd be better at acting than I am, Ron," Hermione complained as the twins decked her out with a black wig, knee-high black boots, black lace robes and a set of impressive charms that changed her appearance completely to that of Bellatrix Lestrange, rightful owner of the vault. They had even managed to produce a fake wand that looked pretty much exactly like Bellatrix' own, apart from the fact that it didn't work at all of course. The boots were luckily fitted with an impressive cushioning charm as there was no way she would be able to walk normally in them.

"You're not gettin' me into a dress, 'Mione," Ron answered, muffled by the new fake dark brown beard he was sporting to go with his newly acquired dark hair. The twins even had him decked out in glasses with a Danger-Sensing mode built into the black frames that would alert him if anything dangerous showed up in his field of vision. Draco had of course told Ron not to look at either Ron himself or Harry in that case or he'd get buzzed constantly. Sometimes she wondered if it was some kind of odd male bonding ritual, to constantly seek new lows in terms of bad jokes.

Draco would down a bottle of Polyjuice instead with a hair nicked from a random Muggle man, giving them about an hour to get past the Gringotts security. On the way out, if they made it that far, they planned to use Disillusionment charms as needed. Hermione had anxiously packed too much, as usual, into her beaded bag, including several new gadgets from the twins.

-x-o-O-o-x-

She pulled the black hood up over her face as they walked down Diagon Alley to Gringotts, the butterflies in her stomach having morphed into hummingbirds, at the very least, with very sharp beaks. The first morning rush had passed but the daytime shoppers were not yet out, and the slanted autumn sunlight filtered down to the street level in a few places, illuminating shop windows and displays. It looked peaceful at a first glance, but Hermione noted that the few people she saw looked worried, hiding their faces and hurrying to their destinations, and that many shops had been closed, boarded up and locked. The few remaining shops mainly advertised things related to defence against curses, hexes, or how to spot if your neighbour was a Death Eater. There weren't any kids running in the alley looking to buy candy or ice cream and very few women.

Draco walked by her side, her arm looped through his, seemingly confident and calm but she could feel him shivering and not from the cold. Ron followed, now a big burly dark-haired man with a beard that very nearly rivalled Hagrid's, and Harry was near him under his invisibility cloak. They soon arrived at the large white marble building which looked as imposing as ever. Two wizards were waving Probity probes at all visitors, but a few quick Confundus charms got them through. The goblins at the other counters didn't give them more than a cursory glance as they walked up to Griphook's counter, Hermione's heels clicking sharply on the marble floor.

"Very well, Madam Lestrange, please follow me," Griphook told her after faking the security checks, cursorily checking the fake wand and making a show of controlling her identity.

Bill Weasley unobtrusively joined them once they were past the public section of the bank. They all boarded one of the carts, Griphook and Bill at the front. It was crowded with all of them riding in the same cart but they didn't want to split up. Harry sat on the floor, Ron stood behind Griphook's seat, and Hermione and Draco clung to the seats.

"You will need to remove all enchantments before we approach the waterfall," Bill cautioned them again they took off on the stomach-clenching ride down, down into the depths of the bank.

The Lestrange vault was deep, deeper than Hermione had ever gone before, and even Draco looked a bit wild-eyed at the end of the trip although surely the Malfoys had vaults at even deeper levels. All of their charms and Polyjuice was gone but they were still in their costumes and wigs, and in Ron's case the massive beard which looked rather funny against his freckled skin. Griphook nodded at Draco who stepped forward towards the vault door and took out his wand. Griphook placed his palm in the centre of the vault door while Draco placed the tip of his wand in a small groove. White lines started spreading over the door from his wand tip, and at Griphook's command the door opened with a click to reveal the huge vault inside. Through the door, Hermione could see several shelves full of golden gadgets, ancient tomes, trinkets and heaps of Galleons. However, it was less full than she had expected and many shelves gaped bare. She supposed a lot of the Lestranges' wealth had gone to support their master and the war efforts.

"I think only Draco will be able to enter," Bill warned. "I can sense loads of nasty curses and wards in here, I'm not sure I recognise all of them but the ones I do aren't very nice. Also, don't touch anything until you absolutely have to."

"What am I looking for again?" Draco asked as he stepped into the dark vault.

"A cup, a small golden cup or chalice," Harry answered. "I can sense it, it's in here somewhere."

"And the sword," Griphook interjected.

Draco ventured further into the vault. "There are several golden cups here but I'm not sure any of them is the right one," he called out.

Harry put on his invisibility cloak. "I'm going in to help him."

Hermione tried to protest but it was no use, he was already invisible and most likely halfway in already. "Don't touch anything, Harry!"

"Here, Draco," Harry's disembodied voice sounded from somewhere in the vault.

"Give me some directions, Scarhead! I can't see you!"

"To your right, higher up, do you see it? Top shelf or the one below, I can't really tell from here."

"Right, I think I see it. How should I get it without touching anything?"

Hermione levitated him up towards the top shelf under Harry's guidance so that Draco after some nerve-wracking near misses managed to snag the cup in a scarf. He yelped in pain as he lifted it but managed to secure it, tying the scarf up into a ball.

"Don't forget the sword!" Griphook called again.

The goblin moved towards the vault door but Bill and Ron blocked him. Hermione shuddered, she would be glad when they were out of this dark place. Finally Draco emerged with the scarf clutched in both hands, and then Harry revealed himself outside the vault. He tossed the Sword of Gryffindor to the goblin who laughed and threw something into the vault.

"Shut the door!" Bill yelled.

A noise could be heard, as if something was moving inside it, and the noise grew in strength. Hermione saw to her horror that whatever Griphook had thrown into the vault had caused a chandelier to drop from the shelf it had perched on, taking with it a few other things, and they were now spawning copies of themselves, dislodging even more items and threatening a full avalanche of cursed items.

"I told you I'd get you in, I didn't say anything about getting you out again," Griphook said and backed away from the door that Harry, Ron and Draco tried to close. Ron's glasses were buzzing furiously whenever he looked in the general direction of the vault.

"Oh no you don't!" Bill said and threw some kind of hex at Griphook just as the goblin was about to jump into the cart again. Whatever it was, it caused Griphook to yelp and move away from the cart.

"Help! Thieves!" he shouted and ran away along the train tracks.

Hermione cast a Shield Charm right at the vault door to stop the items from spilling out, and with their combined efforts they managed to slam the door shut. A muted shuffling was heard in the distance where Griphook had run off, followed by a roar, a belch of flames that illuminated the hallway and a shriek that was hastily cut off.

"Do we even want to know what that was?" Ron asked Bill who shook his head.

"We need to destroy this thing, hop up," Bill said.

Hermione was immensely glad to have Bill along as they scrambled back into the cart which was completely inert without a goblin driver. Bill cast a couple of spells and it began to move, reluctantly at first but soon picking up a bit of speed. The shuffling, sniffling sounds got louder and louder, however, and Harry soon sat up straight.

"Stop the cart! Now!"

Ron frowned. "Why? We need to get back up!"

"That sound, that's a dragon! It sounds just like the ones at the Triwizard Tournament!"

The cart screeched to a halt just as the shadows ahead parted when someone, something, belched a gout of flame. A large, scaly, reptilian head appeared in front of them. It seemed half blind, but unfortunately its nose worked perfectly as it sniffed the air to pick up their scent. Hermione could see huge metal cuffs on its legs that had scoured deep gouges into the creature's flesh, chains leading back into the cavern. It lowered its head after snorting a small gout of flame, and resumed its meal of what turned out to be one goblin, charred. She felt bile rising in her throat at the sight and hastily looked away.

"How do we get past it without ending up like Griphook?" Ron said, looking as green as she felt.

"I don't see the sword anywhere," Harry commented, frowning.

"Was it the real Sword of Gryffindor? If it wasn't then it doesn't matter, but if it was then I doubt it will allow itself to be captured by a dragon, after all it's supposed to come to Gryffindors in need," Bill commented.

Harry shrugged. "No idea, it looked real when I picked it up but it might have been a good fake. Hey Hermione, how hot is dragon fire? I might have an idea."

"It's very similar to Fiendfyre only that it doesn't spread, but it's also magical and in fact Fiendfyre was invented as a way of creating artificial dragon fire. Why?" Hermione asked.

Harry slowly took the bundle from Draco, scarf and all. "We need to take cover somewhere. Hermione, do you happen to have something that looks like a Quidditch Beater's Bat in that bag of yours?"

"Harry…" Hermione said warningly but obliged anyway, just like always, going along with his whims and mopping up the pieces afterwards. She Transfigured a pebble into a bat and handed it to him. Bill had also caught on and made the cart move backwards, creating more space.

"If this doesn't work, you get to fetch it back, mate," Ron told Harry.

Harry nodded and threw the bundle up in the air, scarf and all, and whacked it hard with the bat as he whistled sharply, causing the dragon to look up from his meal. Aided by a few strategic spells by Hermione and Bill the Horcrux flew straight towards the dragon who caught on and roared a large jet of flame towards them and the Horcrux just before it was about to hit the dragon's head. Draco threw up a shield in front of the cart that deflected most of the heat but Hermione still felt as if she had been standing in a blow-dryer. An inhuman scream could be heard as the metal started to melt in the heat just as the dragon snapped it up in its mouth.

"That looked fun, I want to try it next time," Draco said to Harry who started to laugh helplessly.

All of a sudden, the dragon roared again and pawed at its snout. It belched more flames in random directions, shaking its head back and forth. A black cloud was seeping out of its jaw, battling the flames. The dragon roared again, louder than ever, and shot a bright jet of flames straight at the ceiling while the inhuman shrieking and oily black cloud became louder and louder, bigger and bigger, until it exploded. Draco and Bill had managed to get another shield charm up just before the blast wave hit them and pulled them all down into the cart, and when the smoke cleared they saw that both dragon and Horcrux were no longer any problems as the former was without a head and the latter was a melted puddle of metal on the ground. Hermione felt terrible over the dragon's fate as it had clearly been abused by the goblins, and now they had caused its death. The Sword of Gryffindor was nowhere to be seen, it had either melted or already taken off to where it wanted to be.

"Don't tell Charlie we did that," Bill muttered to Ron who nodded, wide-eyed.

Draco was the first to snap out of it, asking Bill how to help getting the cart moving. The rails had been completely destroyed in the section where the dragon had lain but luckily the tracks didn't lead past the dragon itself and they were able to repair them with some wandwork. Slowly the cart crept upwards, reluctantly yielding to Bill's magical power in lieu of a goblin's control. Soon Bill was sweating due to the exertion of keeping the cart moving, and Ron quickly stepped in to help, followed by the others. Hermione was shaking with adrenaline, the events of the last hour or so catching up with her. They weren't out yet, however.

Bill stopped the cart some distance from the main entrance and all of them got out, sweating and shaking with exhaustion. Hermione was already looking forward to a nice long soak in the bath if she could beat Harry and Ron to the idea. Draco quickly downed another bottle of Polyjuice to morph back into the dark-haired older Muggle he had impersonated on their way in.

"Here's the employee exit," Bill said and gestured to a side tunnel. "I can't take all of you this way, it would look too strange. Harry, will you come with me under the cloak? The rest of you can sneak back through the main hall."

She felt reluctant to split the group but she nodded anyway, too exhausted to work out what might happen. Pulling the black hood up higher, she cast a Notice-Me-Not charm on them and walked in front of Ron and Draco to the main hall. Almost there, then just through Diagon Alley or perhaps they could Apparate from a side street, and then a nice glorious bath.

"Well well, what have we here?" a female voice drawled.

Hermione looked up from her dreams of bath and Kreacher's cookies to find her worst nightmare staring back at her. Bellatrix Black stood right in front of her, one hand on her hip, black lacy robes, black boots, the wand that looked just like the fake one Hermione had, only this one was pointed straight at her face.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Hermione next woke up on a soft carpet in the deepest blue and silver tones. The pattern undulated slowly, like waves on the sea, not helping her nausea. She most definitely regretted regaining consciousness as she started to catalogue all the ways she hurt. She couldn't locate her wand.

"Crucio," Bellatrix said in a bored tone.

Pain shot through her, engulfing her whole body, inside and out. Involuntarily she arched her back and screamed.

"Not so brave now, little Mudblood?" the black-haired witch hissed. "What were you doing at Gringotts dressed like me?"

"Nothing!" Hermione wailed. "I needed to make a withdrawal!"

She recalled that Ron and Draco had pulled their wands on Bellatrix, causing all of them to be ousted to the street by Gringotts security team. Unfortunately, Bellatrix and her Death Eater friend were alert and rested while the three of them were near exhaustion, and the standoff had been short and brutal with Ron badly slashed by a hex before Draco pulled him back to safety just as Bellatrix and her companion Apparated back to Malfoy Manor with Hermione in a stranglehold. Her wand … her wand had been snapped by Bellatrix just as they had arrived to the Manor building, left on the floor somewhere in this very room.

"Liar! You're a liar and a filthy Mudblood! You tried to steal something from me! I'm not stopping until you tell me!" Bellatrix shrieked and cast another Cruciatus curse at her.

The pain engulfed her, drowned her, causing all her muscles to spasm and clench. It seemed to last forever, she screamed until she had no breath left. When it finally receded she found she had probably wet herself and there was blood in her mouth, trickling down her cheek. Gradually she became aware of something else, however, a warmth emanating from her bond. She tried to shut out everything else, clinging to that solid spot of warmth, of acceptance, of comfort and protection and safety, instead of the next round of curses Bellatrix threw at her.

"Bellatrix, really," a man drawled, "must you soil the carpet so? It's antique, you know."

"So sorry, Lucius," Bellatrix answered contritely. "This little bitch tried to impersonate me, and I take that personally, you know."

"I think you've done enough for now. Come, dinner is ready. I'll get the elves to lock her up, you can give it another go later."

Hermione stared at the undulating blue pattern on the carpet, now marred with her blood, until her eyes registered a pair of immaculate dragon-hide boots in her field of vision.

"Draco?" Lucius breathed as he leaned over her, ostensibly checking her bonds.

"He got out," she murmured. "Dunno more." Her split lip hurt. Everything hurt.

"I gave you my word," the blond man told her quietly. "I'll keep you as safe as I can. Play your part."

She nodded. He murmured an incantation, healing her lip but leaving the blood, and easing some of the pain in her body. She heard him summoning a house elf just before letting oblivion take her.

 **-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-**

 **A/N: No actual dragons were harmed in the writing of this fic. Obesa Cantavit should be Latin for The Fat Lady Has Sung. Ho-hum. All hands on deck!**


	18. O Fortuna

**O Fortuna**

There wasn't many signs at first that this Monday would be unlike any Monday he had experienced previously. It started as usual with breakfast in the Great Hall where he listened to Minerva's woes with half an ear as he finished an egg, some toast and two strong cups of coffee to be able to stomach another day of attempting to teach dunderheads the intricacies of Potion-making. At least he had the seventh-year NEWT class that day, as a counterweight to the sheer stupidity of the younger classes. He usually found the third-year classes to be the worst, followed by the fourth-years at least for the autumn term, as the raging hormones caused the collective attention span of the little blighters to drop into negative numbers. _Or maybe it's in imaginary numbers,_ he mused as he rose from the table.

Miss Weasley was unusually distracted during her Potions class where she partnered with Miss Lovegood who at least managed to produce an acceptable potion. She was an adequate brewer whenever she didn't get distracted by imaginary creatures, but her essays were completely outrageous although often quite funny. She still wore Ravenclaw's diadem, he noted with some amusement, and had stuck even more random pieces of debris into it. Luna walked up to him at the end of the class as the rest of the students filed out. She fixed him with that penetrating, guileless stare of hers, making him slightly uneasy, he had never been able to intimidate her like the other students.

"She will need you soon, I think. Oh, you do have some of the antivenin for Nagini still that you brewed for Mr Weasley, don't you? Don't worry, you'll manage to get rid of those Blibbering Humdingers soon. See you, Professor." She smiled vaguely at him before leaving the classroom.

He frowned and tried to recall if there was something happening today. He hadn't heard anything from the Fearsome Foursome but then again it had been some time since he last was at Grimmauld Place, too busy with teaching and trying to play Death Eater to be able to visit. The Dark Lord had been elated to hear about Albus' death, of course, and was planning something big although he hadn't told Severus any more details. He guessed Halloween, anyway, it was only a few weeks away after all. Focussing inwards he released the walls he had built around the bond to keep her out of his head and allowed the feelings from the bond to come through. He could feel her worry, apprehension and nerves, she was obviously up to something.

Somehow he made it through the day, having shielded off the output from the bond a bit but allowing a little to seep through to him. He could only hope that things were going alright, it wasn't as if he could do anything about it anyway, he didn't even know what they were up to. Waves of worry, fear, guilt and elation seemed to alternate randomly. About halfway through the afternoon in the middle of the fourth-year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class, apprehension and exhaustion turned to fear and panic before abruptly being cut off. He managed to get through the class but sent a note to Minerva that he would have to cancel the rest of the day's classes and that she should keep the Order on standby. What was happening, was she dead?

Absolute agony burst from his chest without warning as he was trying to grade essays, causing him to collapse to the floor. He recognised the pain of the Cruciatus curse, and after the initial unexpected jolt he realised that the pain was less than when he was hit by it directly. He pressed a hand to his sternum which seemed to help, and he abruptly ripped his coat and shirt open, putting his palm on skin instead of cloth. Breathing through the pain he tried to shield them both from the worst of it, sending strength and protection through the link.

His enchanted Galleon glowed with a message from Lucius Malfoy, of all people. He didn't know Lucius had joined their side.

" _HG at manor alive will try keep safe,"_ the message read. The relief that coursed through him was nearly palpable, despite the fact that he felt her through the bond.

" _We're starting the show,"_ the swift reply came from Harry.

" _All hands on deck, action tomorrow,"_ Ron wrote next.

Hurriedly he packed up several potions and his Death Eater robes, just in case, and all but ran to the Hogwarts gates to Apparate to the Manor gates where Lucius awaited him. The blond man nodded at him and took him Side-Along directly to Narcissa's wing which was barred to the Death Eaters since she was, allegedly, still crazy with grief over Draco. Not that it would have stopped the Dark Lord had he wanted access, but he usually had no interest in crazy women, with the notable exception of Bellatrix of course.

"The girl is in my mother's old chambers," Lucius told him as they arrived in the wing's parlour, a splendid room in Rococo style with light, elegant furniture and Wizarding paintings depicting hunting scenes on the walls. Narcissa arrived from one of the open doorways, nodding at Severus before moving to her husband's side. It appeared that both of them had a new resolve now that Lucius had jumped ship.

"She's been under Bella's Crucio for quite some time," Narcissa said. "I cleaned her up and put her in some clean clothes, I don't know what she was doing dressed up as Bellatrix."

Severus frowned, it did indeed sound completely insane for Hermione Granger to be caught anywhere dressed as Bellatrix Black. "Is she awake?"

Narcissa nodded and gestured to the doorway. "Do you have anything to give her for the aftereffects?"

"Yes, I shall try. Lucius, we need to talk after I have checked her, will you be able to stay here or are they going to miss you?"

"There's nothing big going on tonight," Lucius answered.

-x-o-O-o-x-

She was lying on top of the bedspread, facing away from the door, not moving apart from the occasional violent shiver. She looked small and vulnerable, and something warmed in his chest as he saw her. He must have made some noise as she turned her head towards him when he approached. She had obviously been crying but her eyes warmed when she saw him, and she even managed a shaky smile before the tremors shook her again. He knew all too well how it felt and hurried to unpack the potions he had brought. She needed help to sit up but managed to swallow them without too much trouble.

"Please stay with me," she murmured as she lay back down again.

For some reason he found himself complying, lying down behind her on the large bed, enveloping her shivering body with his own. Gradually she was able to relax and stop shivering as the potions started to kick in, and she burrowed even closer to him, seeking his warmth. He was relieved to know that she was safe, that she was with him, seeking his comfort. She started speaking and haltingly told him the full tale of what they had been up to that day, to his utter astonishment.

"So it's just Nagini left then?" he asked to confirm that he had understood it right.

She nodded. "Yes, as far as we know. And Harry."

Silent tears were wetting the pillow but she didn't make any noise as she cried over her best friend who would have to die to save the rest of them. _Blasted Albus and his callousness, couldn't this have been avoided?_

"Have you eaten anything today?" he asked suddenly. He was reasonably sure that Bellatrix hadn't offered her dinner, which was confirmed when she shook her head.

"Not since an early breakfast," she half whispered.

"Come, let's see what Narcissa can do," he said as he slid off the bed and held out a hand for her.

Narcissa could, it turned out, do something about it, and one elf request later Hermione and Severus were seated with the lady of the Manor in the small dining room just off Narcissa's own chambers, eating a late supper of fish stew and bread. He could tell Narcissa was almost as much on edge as Hermione was, but gradually the tension ebbed as both of them relaxed. Hermione knew how to behave in polite company, after all, despite her supposedly impure blood. Lucius returned some time later as they were finishing off their meal. Apparently Bellatrix had been quiet during the evening, it seemed that she wanted to interrogate Hermione further before notifying the Dark Lord who had luckily been absent.

"She snapped my wand," Hermione suddenly said.

"We have old family wands here, you can see if one of them suits you," Lucius said.

Hermione looked nervous and started to protest, but both Severus and Narcissa cut her off. She would be of no use if she didn't have a wand available.

-x-o-O-o-x-

The Malfoys' wand room was something rather spectacular that Severus had only seen once before, when Lucius inherited the Lord of the Manor's wand and put his childhood wand up for storage, which was more than probably any other non-Malfoy ever had. All wands from earlier generations of Malfoys were stored after their owners had passed on if they had been possible to recover. It was located in the oldest part of the Mansion, far away from the public sections, and heavily warded to allow only the current Lord of the Manor access, or those he allowed to accompany him. It was not a very large room, completely square with eight tall pale sandstone pillars, roughly equidistant from each other and the walls, forming a rough circle. The pillars were joined by several layers of elaborate Gothic arches that wove a stone lattice above the centre of the room where an eight-pointed star was inlaid in the floor in black and white marble. The entrance to the room was through a narrow corridor that opened to the middle of one of the sides, directly facing the central star.

Lucius led them through the corridor and told them all to stand right by the entrance while he went to stand on the star. He slashed the pad of his thumb and let one red drop of blood fall right in the centre of the star, causing it to glitter as the blood was absorbed. Lucius then placed the tip of his cane containing his own wand in the centre of the star, and at his command the star started to shine brighter and brighter until it was like looking at magnesium fire. The light flowed from the points of the star all across the floor in elaborate geometrical designs, up the pillars which seemed to come alive with leaves and flowers, and up the walls. Different wall sections seemed to have different designs that seamlessly wove into each other, with one section having geometrical pattern bleeding into starlike shapes that gave way to vines with various flowers that morphed into a forest. Lucius was sweating but kept it up until the magical tendrils met at the apex of the ceiling and solidified, allowing him lift his cane.

"Come, Miss Granger," he called.

Hermione bit her lower lip as she cautiously moved to the middle of the circle. He held out his hand for her and she tentatively placed her own hand in his which was still bloody from the wound he had made to activate the star. Before she could react, he had slashed the pad of her thumb too and turned her hand so that their wounds touched.

" _De sanguine meo filia crescunt,"_ he intoned and let drops of their mingled blood fall in the middle of the star. Severus couldn't believe his ears, had Lucius just said that? He didn't think Hermione knew the significance of what had just happened, and it wasn't as if Lucius had asked for her consent beforehand.

Lucius said another incantation, lifting his wand cane high and swirling it above his head, and all of a sudden the walls seemed to come alive as a multitude of pinholes opened all across the intricate designs, and wands started flowing out of the holes, flying in between the pillars and circling the pair in the middle. Some wands stilled immediately and rose as high as they could beneath the lattice ceiling, while others flew lower and sped up. The whole room was abuzz with the humming of the flying wands. Gradually the wands seemed to come to a decision, a few of them moving in as if to touch Hermione before recoiling, others slowing down and moving towards the edges of the circle, and a few moving in tighter circles. Lucius lifted Hermione's arms, standing behind her, still holding on to her bloodied right hand with his own. A few wands touched down on her hand before flying off again, one jamming itself deeply into a pillar, before finally it seemed that one wand had decided to accept her. As Hermione folded her fingers over it in acceptance, all the other wands stilled in the air, hovering in place, before Lucius made another sweeping movement with his wand cane and they all returned to their hiding places. The magic faded from the walls and floor, gradually dimming, receding, until the star was the only thing still lit and then it too went dark.

The whole process couldn't have taken longer than five minutes, yet Lucius looked completely exhausted. Severus handed him a replenishing potion from his ever-present robe pocket stash once they were out of the room.

"Did you … did you just magically adopt me, Lord Malfoy?" Hermione asked, turning to Lucius, proving Severus wrong.

"It was the best way to ensure you would be accepted by a wand. That one was my great aunt Léontine's, a great woman, highly talented in her own right. I do hope you had no designs on my son, by the way? Since he's now your brother that would be unseemly."

"Oh…" Hermione looked down at the wand that had chosen her. An elaborately carved, supple wand in a yellowish, fine-grain wood.

"Beech and dragon heartstring. Suits you, Miss Malfoy," Lucius said with a smirk.

"Please, do call me Hermione, this is making me dizzy enough already. But you have my sincere gratitude, Lord Malfoy."

"Lucius. I hope no one noticed anything odd, the room is usually well warded."

-x-o-O-o-x-

Lucius pulled Severus aside as they had ensured that Narcissa and Hermione were safe back in Narcissa's wing.

"Would you happen to have any Polyjuice? I will have to do something about Bellatrix tonight."

Severus shook his head but Hermione had apparently heard them and went to fetch her bag which had luckily not been taken by Bellatrix. She rummaged around in it and extracted a vial.

"Here, use this," she said. "It worked for Draco, don't worry, it's not brewed wrong."

Narcissa approached her husband and laid a hand on his arm.

"She's still my sister. Please make it quick."

He nodded. "I'm sorry, love."

Severus paced the room, feeling rather useless. Hermione was digging through her bag and pulled out her enchanted Galleon which was flashing with messages.

"Shit, I missed Remus' Wolfsbane for tonight," she exclaimed.

"Well, seeing as you were otherwise occupied, he ought to understand," Severus commented with a raised eyebrow. "Did he get his first dose yesterday?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but now it seems he's on the way here to the Manor for some reason?"

Suddenly Severus' left arm flashed with an intensive pain causing him to hiss. His Master was calling for him.

"Whatever you do, don't let Remus into the building. You understand why, I'm sure."

Hermione nodded and nibbled her lower lip. "Please be careful, and please come back to me tonight, I don't want to be alone here."

-x-o-O-o-x-

He didn't answer as he swept from the room, fishing out his cloak and mask and slamming down his Occlumency shields, firmly hiding the events of the evening as deep as he could. He was a bit concerned that the Dark Lord would be able to sense that he was already nearby but there wasn't much to do about it other than waiting for roughly as long as it should have taken him to make the trek from Hogwarts to the Manor before touching his wand to the Mark, allowing it to whisk him back to the Apparition point of the Manor.

Something snorted nearby and Severus felt chills go down his spine as he readied his wand. Werewolf. Remus Bloody Lupin, hopefully, and not a rogue one. The wolf came forward from the shadows, eyeing him warily but not attacking.

"Lupin. Are you at all there or is it only Moony in charge?" Severus asked, pointing his wand at the creature.

The werewolf whuffed and nodded his head which Severus took to mean that Remus was at least partly in charge tonight, as if the fact that he hadn't torn Severus to pieces yet wasn't a clue.

Severus moved closer to the animal and took hold of his ear, none too gently. "Look. Listen very carefully, wolf. I will take you into the Malfoy gardens. Remain out of sight and don't enter the building or I'll tear you to pieces myself. Am I clear?"

Remus whined and nodded, trying to lick his hand and nearly succeeding before Severus quickly removed his hand in disgust. Since the wolf couldn't get inside the wards of the Manor without an invitation, Severus grabbed hold of his thick neck fur and basically led him across the boundary like a dog before releasing him. He clamped the wolf's muzzle with the other hand before releasing him into the Malfoy gardens.

"Be quiet and stay off Lucius' bloody peacocks, you hear me? Undoubtedly there are deer somewhere if you get hungry."

Shaking his head in disgust as the wolf bounded off he cleaned his robes with a flick of his wand and adjusted the mask and robes, shoving also this encounter deep within his Occlumency defences. He walked up the gravel path to the Manor and sought out the Dark Lord in the small dining room in the west wing where he usually met with the Inner Circle only. There wasn't anyone else in attendance, only Rowle watching the door, which was rather unusual.

"Severuss," his master greeted him.

"My lord," Severus said and knelt to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes, his mind still like a frozen lake.

"I sense a disturbance tonight, Severuss. Have you any news?"

Severus shook his head. "None more than usual. I have told them that you are too busy with the Ministry takeover and won't bother with Hogwarts now that the little brat is out of school. The old cat hasn't called another Order meeting since the old fool's funeral. I think the stress of trying to run both the Order and Hogwarts is getting to her, and there is no one else to take up the lead. It is not as if I would step up to do it, either."

Voldemort chuckled. "Indeed. But something is up tonight, here at the Manor. I sensed something happening earlier and Bellatrix has been avoiding me all evening."

"Is that so?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and carefully meeting his master's gaze. "Do you think she is up to something on her own? Where might Wormtail be tonight?"

"Good question, indeed," Voldemort said and frowned. "Find out what happened and fetch Bellatrix and Peter for me, Severusss."

He sketched a bow. "Certainly. By your leave?"

His master nodded and waved him off.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Lucius was seated in his study, drinking. At least Severus assumed it was Lucius as Peter Pettigrew surely wouldn't be seated in the private quarters of the Lord of the Manor, drinking his finest whisky, dressed in Lucius Malfoy's clothes. The sight was rather incongruous.

"You've been busy?" Severus asked and poured himself a glass.

"Bella is dead." Lucius toasted him lazily.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Ah. I was asked to fetch her and the rat. By the looks of you, you are planning to frame him for it?"

Lucius nodded tiredly and rubbed his temple. "It was too easy, really. Merlin, I hate killing. I found the little Gryffindor bastard sitting in the library, drinking. I had an elf topping up his glass with stronger stuff until he nodded off and had him deposited on his bed. After that it was easy to Polyjuice into the wretched rat, use his wand and go seek out Bella who didn't suspect a thing. She was in her rooms changing clothes, I told her Draco sends his regards, Stupefied her and killed her cleanly with the killing curse, like I promised my wife. And here you find me, trying to wash away the taste of death."

Severus nodded.

"I think we can take it further. Whatever you do, don't let the Dark Lord find you tonight or he will sense the death on you. Is the rat still in his rooms? If you let me borrow an elf for a little while I shall take care of it."

"Thank you, I hadn't planned on meeting the bastard tonight if I could avoid it. Do you have any Sober-Up potion? I plan to need it for tomorrow."

Severus drained his own glass, dug in his robes for some Sober-Up and Hangover potions for his host, and left the room.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Wormtail was easy enough to locate, still sleeping off the intoxication on his bed. His robes were shabby and dirty and the room was positively filthy, filled with enough debris, old clothes and odd items for Mundungus Fletcher to feel at home. Severus stayed by the door, refusing to enter the stinking pit of despair, and with the help of a trusted elf he had Wormtail deposited outdoors near the summer gazebo where Narcissa would have breakfast when the weather was warm enough. The man was starting to wake from his drunken stupor so Severus sent a Stunner at him as he scanned the garden for the wolf. Seeing nothing, he cast a Patronus to flush the wolf out of hiding. Oddly enough, the doe was slow to form, the shimmery mist appearing to want to take on another form before finally solidifying into her familiar shape. It no longer filled him with longing after Lily, however.

"Get your scrawny arse here, wolf, you have company," he told it and watched it bound across the green in search of Lupin.

Before long the werewolf came padding across the lawn with an easily loping gait, looking every part the large predator without an ounce of humanity. He froze as he saw Severus and sniffed the air, raising his hackles as he caught scent of Wormtail. Not quite believing himself, Severus stepped in between a werewolf and his prey and glared at the huge creature, arms crossed in front of him. Although he had wanted to kill Wormtail for a long time, ever since he learnt of his betrayal of Lily and doubly so for bringing the Dark Lord back to life, he was fine with ceding to Lupin if the wolf wanted to do it.

"Are you certain you want to do this, Lupin? This is not something for Moony to decide. There is no coming back from a kill, it will be with you forever."

The wolf whuffed softly and flicked his ears back in submission. He nodded vigorously before lowering his head as he tried to lick Severus' robes.

"Very well. Shall I release him?"

Another nod from the wolf. Severus stepped away to the side and the wolf moved forward to stand only inches away from his former friend. Wormtail looked around blearily when Severus released him, unmindful of danger until Lupin started growling.

"Moony? Is that you? What are you doing here?" Wormtail asked, confused, as the werewolf moved even closer and started growling.

"Moony, it's me! Wormtail! I'm your friend, remember!" He was scrambling backwards before finally recalling his Animagus form and transforming.

It was over quickly. Lupin broke the rat's neck before he had even taken three steps. Severus stepped in before he was able to devour his kill, certain that Lupin would not want to recall that in the morning even if Moony snarled before conceding the kill to him. The wolf licked his muzzle, wagged his tail once and took off into the night once again.

-x-o-O-o-x-

The Dark Lord was less than pleased to hear of Wormtail's betrayal and assumed that he had planned to meet up with Lupin to defect to the Order, bringing word of Bellatrix' death as proof of his changed loyalties. It took Severus another half hour to extricate himself from his angrily ranting master. It was well past midnight before Severus made his way back to Narcissa's wing of the Manor. His feet took him to the room Hermione had been given. _"Please come back to me tonight,"_ she had asked. How could he not? One last night together, tomorrow would bring the end of it all one way or the other and he had never expected to survive.

She stirred as he neared the bed and reached out a hand for him from under the blanket.

"Severus…" she mumbled, half asleep.

Warily, not used to someone actually seeking his company, he stepped closer to the bed. "Do you want me to stay here tonight?"

She nodded and pulled the blanket aside as he tiredly stripped out of his robes, shoes and clothes apart from his underpants, and dove into the warm bed. She scooted closer to him, snuggling into his arms. She smelled like rose and jasmine. Like home. Her free hand was stroking his chest before moving up to his neck and up along his face, and somehow he couldn't tell who started it, but he kissed her and it felt just right. The kiss grew more heated, her hands tangling in his hair, holding him tight, his hands finding purchase under the hem of her ratty t-shirt, touching soft smooth skin that he couldn't get enough of. It didn't take much for him to give in, to be selfish for once, to pull off her t-shirt to gain access to her breasts, losing himself in the moment rather than recalling what was due to come in the morning, and she was just as eager to pull down his pants, freeing him from the confines of cloth. He still marvelled at her eager acceptance of him, the way she was most definitely an active participant, wanting him specifically rather than just acting, and was rather proud of making her react that strongly. She cried out as he entered, egging him on, harder, faster, more, and both of them rapidly found their conclusion, neither of them up for slow and gentle in favour of fast and fervent. His bond sang with contentment and warmth in his chest.

She clung to him afterwards, refusing to let him move from on top of her where he had collapsed, finally spent both mentally and physically. A kiss on her forehead, a quick Scourgify, and he settled behind her, pulling her close and burying his nose in her messy hair.

She frowned and turned her head towards him. "Why did he do it? Did he really mean it? Is it real?"

It took him a moment to work out what she might mean.

"He's a Slytherin, and a Malfoy. There will be many different reasons for his actions. What do you think about it?"

"Adopting me without warning, a Muggleborn? Probably … to improve his image after the war, if we survive?"

"Such a cynic already? Naturally you are correct, but there's more to it than that. A magical adoption is for life and cannot be faked, but it was the most efficient way to ensure that you would be accepted by a Malfoy wand. I would also think that the fact that he knows you and Draco accept each other played a part in his decision, and also of course that he wants our side to succeed tomorrow."

"But still…" she said and bit her lower lip.

"Don't worry too much about it. And yes it is real, although in the Muggle world nothing will have changed. Come the morning there will be records in the Ministry stating your changed status. Since only Lucius claimed you, you are now considered a half-blood and a Malfoy. As you are of age there will probably not be many changes to your looks, but had you been younger and adopted by both Lucius and Narcissa your appearance would have adjusted to resemble theirs as you aged. It was relatively common earlier for Purebloods to adopt magical children into their families when they needed some fresh blood or if they were unable to beget an heir naturally."

"Really? So the whole Pureblood ideology is nothing but a sham? They have adopted Muggleborns all through the ages?"

He shrugged. "The adoption does change the genetic makeup of the children as far as I have been able to discern. You are probably technically correct but please, Hermione, let us sleep a few hours. Morning will be here too soon."

She went quiet and after a while he felt her relaxing against his chest, burrowing closer, clasping his hand that was slung over her waist. Gradually both of them fell asleep, lulled by the soft breathing of the other.

 **-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-**

 **A/N** This chapter should have been written to the tones of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. The Latin invocation could mean something like From my blood, daughter grows. For a better translation please ask Lord Malfoy. I honestly didn't know he was planning to do that until it happened.


	19. Amor Vincit Omnia

**Amor Vincit Omnia**

Hermione had been absolutely certain that she wouldn't be able to sleep at all that night but when the alarm sounded she was surprised to find that it was morning already, perhaps that late night shag had helped calm her down. Unfortunately the other half of the bed was already empty and Severus had left the room. She got up and dressed quickly, choosing a pair of jeans and a jumper that she had kept as spares in her bag instead of the overly fancy robes Narcissa had lent her the evening before. So. Today was the day. One way or the other it would end here, today, in this fancy Manor house, unless of course things went horribly wrong and the survivors would have to go into hiding and continue fighting guerrilla style. _No. It will end the way it should. It must._ Her Galleon had been flashing with messages through the night and early morning, and soon her friends would join her.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Bill and Draco soon arrived, and Hermione flung herself in Harry's arms, crying from happiness or exhaustion or tension, she wasn't sure herself. It was such a relief to see them all again, it felt as if years had passed since she was snatched outside Gringotts instead of not even a full day. A house elf brought tea and breakfast for all of them in the parlour, and soon they were devouring toast and croissants as if it was their last meal. _No we don_ _'t think of that._ Ron and Draco filled her in on what had happened after her abduction, apparently Draco and Bill had to restrain Harry from charging off after Bellatrix alone, nearly frothing at the mouth until Bill had hit him with a Stunner and Apparated them back to Grimmauld Place.

Severus and Lucius swept in together but Hermione only had eyes for the former. His face was completely blank, his emotions hidden behind his Occlumency shields, and he barely acknowledged any of them. Both of them were dressed in their black Death Eater robes but without the masks.

"The wolf should be here shortly. As I understood it, you are planning a diversion that should draw all Death Eaters to the Ministry?" Lucius said, addressing Harry and Bill mainly.

It was Harry who answered. "Yes, Ginny, Bill and Draco will channel a fake signal through Draco's Mark, summoning everyone to the Ministry atrium. Wait, by the way, is Remus here?"

Lucius smirked. "Apparently he was so outraged yesterday that he tried to break through my wards to save Miss Malfoy, here," he said and gestured at Hermione.

"Miss Malfoy?" Harry looked as confused as the rest of them.

Before Lucius could elaborate further, Hermione broke in. "Yes, Bellatrix broke my wand yesterday and Lucius offered me one of the Malfoys', but in order to make one accept me he carried out a magical adoption, and no Ron before you ask I don't plan on denouncing his declaration. So Draco and I are, um, siblings now."

She bit her lip as Ginny smirked, Harry looked thoroughly confused, Draco stared at her with a slow smirk spreading over his face, and Ron appeared to prepare to blow a fuse. Luckily, before he could go off, Bill stepped forward. To her surprise, he walked over to Lucius and held out his hand to shake.

"That was clever, Lord Malfoy. You couldn't have caught yourself a better witch for a daughter."

"Thank you, Mr Weasley. I hope it will be beneficial for everyone."

"Bill, please."

Lucius nodded. "Lucius."

"Are we all done with the pleasantries so that we can get on with the war on hand?" Severus interrupted with a raised eyebrow.

At that moment, Remus stole the show by being Apparated in by an elf, looking very tired and bedraggled as if he had slept in a shrub outdoors, which probably wasn't far off the mark. He beelined for the table and snagged a cup of coffee as Harry, Ginny and Hermione tried to ask him too many questions all at once.

"Severus, do you happen to have any Pepper-Up? I haven't really slept much this night," Remus said after quaffing his first cup of coffee.

"I wonder why," Severus said blandly but dug in his robes for a vial.

"I'm so sorry about your Wolfsbane yesterday, it slipped my mind to set up a backup plan," Hermione said.

Remus grimaced. "Don't worry, I still had most of my mind and it wasn't as if you were planning on getting caught by Bellatrix. And now Peter is dead, finally."

"Oh…"

"It's alright, Hermione."

Ron made notes on a piece of parchment. "So, Wormtail is dead? Who else is in the Manor now?"

Lucius concentrated, sensing the flow of people through the wards. "Rowle is here. Bella is dead, the Lestrange brothers are not in, three relatively new recruits are here, Mulciber, Selwyn and Macnair are here but have kept to themselves."

"Right, that doesn't sound too bad," Ron said, frowning.

"Selwyn and Macnair are no longer an issue," Severus said quietly, face completely blank again.

Lucius looked at him before slowly nodding, as did Ron, adding that to the game plan.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Draco, Ginny and Bill prepared for their fake Death Eater summoning which should hopefully be well timed with Kingsley's few loyal Aurors as well as Minerva and the Order, via the Galleons that Ron coordinated. They weren't quite sure how long it would take them, or exactly how much pain it would cause Draco during the attempt to subvert the magical links. Narcissa had entered the room as well now and refused to let go of her son. Lucius had an odd look in his eyes as he watched his family before he started asking Bill and Ginny detailed questions about what they were about to attempt.

"Could you use my mark instead?" he asked.

"Draco has really wanted to do it, as a way of getting back at Lord Nosebleed," Ginny said.

Lucius frowned. "I don't want to see my son in pain now after finally getting him back from the dead. Use mine. Please."

Bill looked at Lucius before nodding slowly, and he and Ginny finalised the last of the preparations. Draco sighed at his father for asking to take his place, but Hermione suspected that he was secretly pleased about it. He had been missing a father, a real father, for so long and now they finally had the chance to repair their relationship.

" _Confirm ready for incoming,"_ Ron wrote on the Galleon to Kingsley and Minerva.

" _All set, bring 'em on,"_ Kingsley responded swiftly with Minerva confirming the status shortly after.

Lucius adjusted the wards on the Manor, making sure no Death Eater could get in or out, and Hermione gasped at the sensation as the updated wards swept through her like a chilly gust of magic. Apparently the Manor also considered her a Malfoy now, allowing her to sense the wards affecting it although she guessed only Lucius would be able to alter them. Draco smirked at her unease, he had also felt the change in the wards, and moved over next to her.

"You truly are my sister now, Granger. I never expected to have a sister but I think you'll do just fine."

"Thanks, Malfoy," Hermione said with a small smile.

While she had been distracted by the wards, Bill and Ginny had begun their work. Lucius had removed his coat and unbuttoned his shirtsleeve, baring the black ugly mark on his pale skin, and was seated by the window.

"This may hurt a little," Bill said as he raised his wand above Lucius' arm.

When Lucius nodded, Hermione saw Bill direct a slashing hex along the length of the Dark Mark, causing blood to well up along the length of his lower arm. Ginny immediately moved in to link up with Bill and direct a series of charms at the Mark, pulling apart the strands of the curse and finding the ones that directed the summoning powers of it. Lucius was sweating and breathing shallowly through his nose, in obvious pain, but didn't make a sound as the two siblings worked. Hermione's heart caught in her throat when Bill cursed softly and Ginny cried out but it seemed that they managed to stabilise the spell after a few tense moments. Finally Ginny performed the charm to Summon the Death Eaters to the Ministry, which was confirmed when both Severus and Draco clutched their arms with the pain of the Mark's call. Bill and Ginny ended the spell and healed the cut on Lucius' arm while Severus handed him a Blood-Replenishing potion and the same pain relief potion that he and Draco had taken against the call from the Mark.

"Now it begins," Harry said grimly.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Ron and Harry had sorted out all their gear when the others were busy with the summoning and they each got a bundle of gadgets, mostly WWW made. Once they were all sorted they quickly and quietly made their way through the silent Manor. Severus and Lucius walked ahead of them, with Bill and Remus bringing up the rear and the rest of them in the middle. Hermione soon lost track of the corridors and turns they took to make their way back to the main part of the Manor where Voldemort held court, but all too soon they found themselves outside a large door. Bill and Remus were to wait just outside, checking that no one would try to sneak up on them, and everyone readied their wands.

"Hello, Tom," Harry said as they entered the parlour that apparently the Dark Lord had claimed as his study, where the man himself stood in front of the large ornate fireplace. The room was richly decorated in a Victorian style, with a flowery rich green wallpaper, dark wood panelling, and plump armchairs next to a coffee table littered with scrolls and heavy tomes. It appeared that the Dark Lord preferred some floor space, however, and much of the furniture was haphazardly pushed aside.

The Dark Lord Voldemort turned from the fireplace, his ghastly face lit by the red glow from the fire. It seemed as if he had been expecting them, or he was a very good actor, not displaying any surprise at seeing his main enemy in front of him.

"Severus, Lucius. I see you have brought some guests? How fortuitous. Did you make them believe you were on their side? That was well played, well played indeed. Thank you for this gift, it will aid my efforts to quell this silly little rebellion tremendously."

Hermione felt her stomach drop, did he tell the truth? Could Severus and Lucius have fooled them? But then sanity quickly returned, no they weren't faking any of their involvement. Neither of the men answered their supposed master, and for a brief moment everything was still.

The huge snake slithered around her master, having woken up from her nap by the fire. He petted her head affectionately, seemingly calm and unconcerned by their presence.

"Hello, dear, it seems we have guests today. Do you want to say hello to them?" the Dark Lord told his pet, looking straight at Harry. "Nagini, kill!"

Hermione froze in place, unable to react, watching the snake taste the air. Her large body coiled to strike, Harry tried to talk to her but the snake ignored him.

"No!" Severus shouted and leapt in front of the snake as it was about to strike Harry.

The dull thud of the snake's fangs hitting flesh, once, twice, thrice, was all she could focus on as Severus fell down in front of Harry, blood spurting from his throat.

"Severus! No!" Hermione shrieked and rushed over to him, pain shooting through the bond, pulsing in sync with his lifeblood that was rapidly leaving him. From the corner of her eye she saw Ron rushing forward, brandishing a sword that glittered of rubies and silver, and with a great bellow he swung to lop the snake's head off. The Dark Lord was screaming something rather incoherent about treachery, Severus and Nagini, but she wasn't exactly paying attention. The pain nearly overwhelmed her, she didn't want to know how much worse it was for him. He was losing consciousness fast but somehow he still managed to focus his eyes on hers, opening them wide as if in invitation.

"Legilimens!" she cried, trying to focus through her tears, and suddenly she was inside his mind. Feeling as clumsy as a bull in a china shop she stayed right where she was and felt him drag a memory forward towards her. Robes … his robes, there was something … a potion? And Luna Lovegood, of all people, what was she doing in his robes? The connection snapped when his eyes drifted shut as he lost consciousness. Frantically she rifled through his robes, seeking the antivenin that he had showed her. She cradled his head in her lap and poured the potion down his throat along with a Blood Replenisher and a Healing potion before pouring almost a full bottle of Dittany at the wound.

She vaguely noticed the others duelling the Dark Lord, the whole room in complete chaos. Harry was clutching his head as if in pain while Remus and Bill were duelling two Death Eaters that she presumed were Rowle and Mulciber, seemingly at a stalemate until Lucius sent two vicious hexes at the backs of his supposed friends, allowing the others to incapacitate them.

From somewhere deep inside Severus' robes, Hermione suddenly heard a faint chirping sound, to her great confusion. Eventually, a fiery orange-red fluffy bird head appeared, cheeping angrily. Fawkes! Hermione suddenly recalled seeing him burn at Dumbledore's funeral, but of course phoenixes would be reborn anew, and apparently this one had chosen Severus Snape's pockets for his new lease on life. The fiery lintball cheeped agitatedly at Hermione who finally caught on and put him right by Severus' throat.

As the bird cried over his wounded throat, Hermione finally felt the pain lessen somewhat in the bond. She tried to send him strength and comfort, to take away some of the agony and shield him from everything that was out to hurt him.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Suddenly she became aware of Tom Riddle having been overpowered and Stunned. She looked around the room to see Ginny, Ron, Bill, Draco and Remus brandishing the small pistol crossbows that the Weasley twins had manufactured and modified to carry a load of Amortentia in the bolts. They weren't big enough to kill anyone, and looked like a cross between an antique flintlock pistol and a crossbow.

"Everyone ready! Three … two … one!" Ron shouted from atop Nagini's corpse.

As agreed they all pulled the triggers on "two" and a half dozen darts hit the body of one Tom Riddle with a smattering of dull thuds as they connected, causing him to jerk back from the impacts although each of them wasn't big enough to cause serious damage.

"It's over now, Tom," Harry said and uncorked the potion vial. A pearlescent steam rose from the opening as he toasted his adversary and downed the full shot of Amortentia himself.

"No!"

The self-styled Dark Lord had fallen to the floor and was writhing in pain, pierced quite literally with emotion as love coursed through his veins. In theory, he should now be bursting with love for each person that had shot him. Harry staggered over towards him, reaching out a hand to touch his while he fell to the floor next to his foe. As their hands connected, Harry's scar burst open with an inhuman scream, and black smoke rose from it before disintegrating, banished by the strength of the Amortentia.

Tom Marvolo Riddle opened his eyes and took a long look at Harry before his heart rather literally burst from the strain of love, and he died with a trickle of blood from his lips.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Ginny rushed up to Harry and cradled his head much like Hermione did with Severus. She was crying, probably in as much pain as Harry seemed to be in through the bond that Hermione belatedly recalled Ginny mentioning half a lifetime ago.

"Harry … fight it, Harry! You're mine, you hear? Don't you dare die on me now! You don't love that snake any more than I do! Harry!"

Finally, Hermione heard Harry cough and saw him slowly raise his hand to tangle in Ginny's hair, pulling her down for a kiss. Relief flooded through her when she knew he was going to be alright. They had made it. It was over.

Fawkes started singing. His currently tiny size made his voice sound less rich, but his song nonetheless soothed their hearts and had them all breathe easier.

-x-o-O-o-x-

They left the body of the Dark Lord where he was, along with Rowle and Mulciber who were still magically bound where they had fallen. Hermione had even checked that they wouldn't bleed out before anyone could be bothered to fetch them. Upon hearing the news, Narcissa had wasted no time in reclaiming her home and had the elves set up a lavish buffet in the main dining hall, already working on banishing the dark memories that the walls held. She had also reclaimed Draco and barely left his side now that he was safe from harm, touching him whenever Hermione looked his way.

Harry was alright, only complaining of a headache and strong lingering feelings for Tom, but Severus was still weak. He had been seated in a large dark leather armchair the elves had dragged in from somewhere else that looked a bit incongruous compared to the light Rococo dining room furniture, but at least he was alive. Fawkes sat on his shoulder, chirping imperiously and demanding that they feed him all the fruit they could find, which had Severus grumbling about melon juice and grapefruit seeds in his hair.

The Floo flared to life and Hermione heard a muffled request for entry followed by what sounded like cursing when someone had tried to enter and been thrown out by the Manor's wards. Kingsley Shacklebolt soon entered, followed by Tonks and a couple of Aurors. They were all sweaty and dishevelled, Kingsley had a gash in his arm and Tonks had a trail of dried blood from her hairline, but otherwise they looked happy. Tonks immediately flung herself at Remus, not caring who saw them.

"Kingsley! How did it go?" Hermione and Ron asked simultaneously.

"It's all done," Kingsley confirmed. His eyes hardened when he spotted Lucius and Severus, however, waving his Aurors over towards them.

"No!" Harry shouted and leapt in front of the elder Slytherins.

"Harry, be reasonable, Mr Malfoy is to be taken under arrest and Professor Snape must make himself available for questioning," Kingsley said, frowning.

"You're not arresting Malfoy or Snape, Kingsley," Harry shot back, glaring daggers at the senior Auror. "Both of them have been invaluable to win this war. I won't let you take either of them."

"He's right, you know," Ron said and walked up next to Harry. "Go bother the two Death Eaters that we left tied up for you instead in the study, and take that smelly body with you."

Kingsley sighed and drew a tired hand through his non-existing hair.

"Right, let's do it this way. Mr Malfoy, could you please give me your word that you won't try to run away until we have sorted this whole mess? In return, I will give you my word that I won't arrest you and put you in Ministry custody."

Lucius regarded him coolly, every inch the consummate aristocrat once again. "Very well, Mr Shacklebolt. Is it too soon to say Minister Shacklebolt?"

Kingsley winced but accepted the oath.

"Kingsley, please, what happened?" Hermione begged and finally the elegant wizard relented.

Apparently, the plan had worked flawlessly for all of probably five minutes, with Disillusioned Aurors and Order members stationed around the Ministry atrium. A few Death Eaters started Apparating in and were swiftly apprehended. Things started to go south when it became apparent that most of them were instead Apparating to the Ministry cantina a few floors down, and since the lifts were quirky and ran on their own schedule the Aurors couldn't make a concerted attack on them, instead haphazardly arriving in smaller groups at random intervals to join the ones that had arrived earlier. The fight became harder and more bloody also due to the fact that they were in a much more cramped area with tables and chairs everywhere rather than in the large open space of the atrium. Kingsley had led a small group of mostly Order members to the Minister's office, overpowering Yaxley to remove the Imperius curse on Pius Thicknesse who after a moment's confusion immediately joined the fight and had to be pried off Yaxley's throat by three Aurors. The odious Umbridge had also been arrested as she was trying to help Yaxley out and had thrown several rather dubious hexes at the Aurors.

"Were there many hurt?" Hermione asked worriedly, thinking of all their Order friends and other acquaintances.

Kingsley nodded as he looked her way. "Many were hurt, not too many dead but a few of my Auror friends and colleagues went down. I think George Weasley was injured but heard him cursing so it couldn't have been too bad. Now, please tell me what happened here so that I can start up a report."

Ron detailed the events of the day, with Bill and Draco filling in as needed. Kingsley whistled in surprise at hearing that both Peter Pettigrew and Bellatrix Lestrange were dead, and dispatched Aurors to sort out the bodies. Meanwhile, Hermione had gone over to check on Severus who appeared to be nodding off. His forehead felt clammy with cold sweat and his pulse was too rapid.

"Severus needs help!" she called, worry rising in her chest.

"You can't take him to St Mungo's, Hermione, it will be chaos and there will be too many reporters there," Harry said with a frown.

"Hogwarts then?" Ron asked.

It was arranged quickly between Lucius and a Patronus to Poppy who had apparently joined Minerva and several other teachers at the Ministry. She hurriedly Flooed in to the Manor together with Minerva who hugged Hermione tight before admonishing Ginny for sneaking out of school to join the fight. Poppy checked them all over quickly before bringing Severus along through the Floo to the Hogwarts infirmary after Minerva had gone first to open the connection, taking Ginny along with her.

Feeling completely emotionally spent and physically exhausted, Hermione dragged Harry back to Grimmauld Place to finally take that bath she had been dreaming of since the day before, while Ron went off to the Burrow to be with his family.

-x-o-O-o-x-

A few days later she made the trek from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. Minerva had apparently called off all classes for the rest of the week as the general upheaval meant that everyone had too much to think of. The Aurors had been busy and Kingsley had personally overseen the interviews of Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, and probably of Remus and Lucius as well. Hermione felt oddly empty now that it was all over and done with but now she could finally start up the internship at St Mungo's although surprisingly enough she wouldn't need such skills for the war anymore.

Hagrid opened the gates for her and she promised to stop by soon for a chat, always feeling slightly guilty for brushing him off. Ginny came running up to her from the Quidditch pitch and caught Hermione in a hug, apparently all the teams were taking advantage of the free time to set up more practice sessions.

"I can't believe it's over," the younger girl said, linking arms with Hermione as they walked up to the Castle.

"I know, it's amazing and strange," Hermione said.

"There was a big feast here yesterday but it was odd at the same time, you know," Ginny continued. "Some students have parents that were arrested or hurt at the Ministry, both Death Eaters and Aurors. You know Luna and Neville went to the Ministry? Some others from the DA too, I think both Creevey brothers were there. So we were like the only ones who knew anything about what had happened, and everyone keeps coming up with weird ideas and I'm trying to say that no that's not what happened, but no one believes me."

"At least if Colin went there I guess there will be pictures," Hermione commented, causing Ginny to laugh and agree.

They parted ways after the Great Hall, Hermione to walk up to the Infirmary and Ginny to join her friends in the Gryffindor common room. Suddenly accosted by nerves, Hermione dragged her feet as she neared the Infirmary doors. She hadn't told anyone that she was about to visit, but Ginny had confirmed that Severus had been in the infirmary and not seen at meals. Slowly she pushed the door open. The nearest beds were occupied by students that appeared to be asleep, possibly sleeping off post-Feast effects or perhaps something Quidditch related.

Poppy looked up sharply as she approached the bed where Severus was seated, clad in his full teaching robes and evidently just about to leave.

"Hello, Hermione. Good to see you, how are you?" Poppy asked.

"Um, hi Madam Pomfrey. I just came to see Professor Snape actually." Hermione felt a blush rise on her cheeks and cursed her complexion.

Poppy looked far too calculating for Hermione's taste. "Ah, certainly. He was just given a clear bill of health to return to his quarters."

The Hogwarts matron nodded at her and walked back to her office, undoubtedly keeping an eye on them but at least she was out of earshot.

Severus rose from the bed to stand right in front of her, just outside touching distance. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hello," she said, feeling inordinately stupid.

"Hermione," he answered.

"How are you? I was so worried after Nagini and didn't know if I did the right thing with your potions, and then Fawkes came, and I should have brought you to a healer sooner, I'm sorry."

"Stop. You are babbling again. I am as well as I can ask for, you did all you could."

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Her relief at seeing him in front of her, alive and well, was nearly palpable. "Alright, I'll get to the point. Basically I was thinking that now that both Dumbledore and Voldemort are dead, you are free to make your own choices, right? And although I'm still younger than you and that won't change I still would very much like a chance to see where things could go, between us."

She was about to continue but he stopped her, frowning.

"No, Hermione. This is not right. The fact that we are connected with a magical bond does not automatically imply that we should end up in a relationship."

"But …"

"I cannot do it. You deserve more than this, more than what I can offer you. I cannot accept you binding yourself to me when you are barely out of school. You haven't seen anything of life outside Hogwarts."

She didn't understand, didn't want to understand. Yet she couldn't very well force him to accept her if he didn't want a relationship with her. The bond felt heavy in her chest but he had walled off his feelings from her. She took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "Fine. I will stay away and try my best to forget you, but would you agree to meet up again in a year, say, and see where we stand then? I don't want to lose your friendship even if that's all we could have."

He looked at her a long time, face completely blank apart from something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

"That sounds fair, Hermione. Until then."

He nodded at her, whirled around and stalked off, robes billowing, without a second look at her.

.

 **-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-**

 **A/N** Hold your horses, we're not done yet! Three chapters and an epilogue to go unless someone else does something surprising that warrants an extension.

Thanks to all that have favourited, followed, and reviewed this fic so far! It's really neat to see that people are enjoying it.


	20. That Light In Your Eyes

**I Never Thought That You** **'d Lose That Light In Your Eyes**

For a while, everything went reasonably alright. She stayed with Harry in Grimmauld Place and finally got to start the internship program at St Mungo's. The main Healer, Healer Poke, didn't let her forget the fact that she had missed the first few months due to the war and the minor inconvenience of being hunted as a criminal, although she did her best to fit in and catch up. The group of ten-odd interns had long days with lots of lectures mixed with practical sessions shadowing one of the nurses or Healers, and lots of homework and heavy tomes to read covering everything from anatomy to charms for children's diseases. Meanwhile, Harry finally started Auror training and very much enjoyed the new challenges and friends that he made, and Ron signed up with a small Quidditch team despite the season winding down as the weather worsened.

Draco had apparently decided to finish his NEWTs now that he was counted amongst the living again, and had returned to Hogwarts for his seventh year which Hermione thought rather brave of him. He got his own room in the Slytherin dorm and a bit more freedom than the other students due to his status and age, but apparently he enjoyed coming back to Hogwarts without the threat of Voldemort looming over him and his family. Hermione felt slightly envious of him for having a place to return to, granting stability and normalcy for a few months. Ginny reported that a lot of the tension between the Houses was gone, partly due to the end of the war and partly due to efforts by the Headmistress to ensure that all Houses were treated fairly. Ginny's easy acceptance of Draco also helped with his new social status, as did the fact that he was hailed as some kind of hero by many of the other students, even if a few Slytherins eyed him suspiciously.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Lucius insisted on meeting up with her somewhat regularly, and gradually they got to know each other a bit better. He appeared to take his new status as Hermione's adoptive father quite seriously and taught her many things about Wizarding culture and the Malfoy family history, while in turn asking questions about Muggles and Hermione's upbringing, probably with half a mind to seek out new business opportunities. Narcissa was more wary of her but started to relax after a few visits, and Hermione even plotted to bring Andromeda along to see her sister and reconcile the rift in the Black family. Hermione wasn't sure who was the most nervous when they finally met but the sisters soon reconnected, leaving her to entertain Teddy who had been brought along as a distraction if things went badly.

Her parents were back in the country after their enforced extended vacation. Hermione told them select details about the events over the past few months, and even brought them together with Lucius over a lunch at a posh restaurant in London, claiming that he was her magical guardian. To Hermione's and probably Lucius' great astonishment they got along well, with Hermione's mother Juliette bonding with Lucius over their respective French connections since Juliette's mother's family owned a vineyard in Burgundy and the Malfoys had holdings also in several places in France, albeit mainly towards Brittany and the Bordeaux and Normandy regions. Hermione's father David, on the other hand, was asking detailed questions about the Malfoys' businesses, and in turn shared his own experiences with running a successful dental clinic and his involvement in various upper-middle-class societies.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Gradually it got harder and harder to care, to fall asleep, to bother getting up in the morning, to remember to shower and change clothes, and to eat. She lost track of when she had last met friends apart from Harry whom she occasionally ran into in the kitchen, and she didn't contact either her parents or Lucius. The ache after Severus was a dark hollow throb in her chest, swallowing all her energy. Finally her mother cornered her and threatened to drag her off to a doctor to get a prescription for antidepressants if she didn't get better. She agreed to come back home for a while and left St Mungo's without notice, not sure she would ever come back. She fetched Crookshanks and some basic necessities and spent a week in her childhood bedroom doing nothing but to sleep and eat her mother's cooking whenever a plate was placed in front of her. Towards the next weekend she finally started to feel as if a shower would be nice, and surprised her parents by joining their weekend walk in the neighbourhood. The weekend after that she even helped with cooking dinner.

A decision crystallised itself, slowly, and she spent another week sorting out her affairs.

She felt surprisingly nervous as she walked up to Grimmauld Place early one Sunday morning. Harry joined her in the kitchen, surprised to see her.

"Hermione! How are you, it's been forever? How are your parents?"

"I'm leaving for a while, Harry. I can't stay here."

"But where will you go? Are you alright?"

She crossed her arms as if to hug herself, to hold herself in one piece. "I'll be fine. I just need to get away for a while. It feels as if I can't breathe here."

Harry looked at her solemnly before nodding. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Look, please stay in touch and let me know where you are, alright? I bought a Muggle mobile phone, I'll give you my number. If anything happens please let me know, okay?"

"Thanks, Harry. I will. Promise."

She hugged him tight before stepping away and making her way to the train station.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Her first stop was Amsterdam where she spent a few days touristing before heading off to Prague. Her next stop was Crete where she checked out the old Minoan ruins of Knossos, an ancient Wizarding site, before heading over to Spain. She stayed in a youth hostel in Seville where lots of Muggle backpackers congregated before heading to the magical quarters of Granada, just a stone's throw from Alhambra. A couple of young witches taught her some new charms and asked about the status in Wizarding Britain, making her feel uneasy. She didn't want to be recognised as having anything to do with the war and although most of the magical people she met didn't really care about British politics there were still some people in exile or with British relatives that knew more about what had happened. She went by the name of Jean Granger most of the time, seeking anonymity among those that should have been her peers, young people just in the beginning of their adult lives, both Muggle and magical. She still didn't feel like she could fit in anywhere.

Her next stop was Berlin where she spent some time in a collective of sorts with several other witches and wizards that were studying at Muggle universities. Spring found her visiting her grandparents in France before a quick detour through Scandinavia. Having had enough of Europe, she next booked a long-distance flight off to the States where she spent some time in Louisiana before visiting some Caribbean islands and then Arizona, Montana and California, locations chosen somewhat at random. The sunshine seemed to help although the solitude started to shift slowly into loneliness, and the ache for Severus was still as strong. She kept in touch with her parents via a newly created email address about once a week, and with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Draco and Lucius occasionally by owl post if she found herself in a magical community. She tried to hook up with a few people along the way but had to flee after they tried to kiss her lest she throw up on them, physically repulsed by the thought of kissing anyone else or, horror of horrors, going further. None really caught her interest although she gained a few potential friends in various cities, both Muggle and magical.

-x-o-O-o-x-

A date in San Fransisco towards the end of spring went terribly bad, the wizard in question was not in any way interested in listening to her and only wanted to talk about his own career in a private Charms company, his own hobbies that of course included Quidditch, Quidditch, beer and Quidditch, and at the end of it all he tried to kiss her so forcibly that she had to hex him to get him off her.

"You're such a frigid tease, bitch!" he snarled at her. "Go back to England, no one here cares about your stupid war and your stupid Ministry."

She slapped him and ran off.

She stood on the Golden Gate bridge, crying. It was all too much, too painful, as if she was drowning while on dry land. The hole in her chest where Severus should be was too heavy, too dark. She didn't exactly know how she had ended up here the sun rose, or how long she had been there. There was no way out of this pain, other than down, off the bridge.

"Hey," a voice said. A young woman approached her, she was out running. "What's up?"

"It hurts so much, I can't breathe anymore, I can't sleep, I can't think. I don't know what to do. I'm drowning. I can't do this anymore."

"Is it over a guy? Whoever he is he's not worth killing yourself over."

The girl took a step closer. Her blonde hair was put up in a ponytail for her run. She said her name was Mia, she was an au-pair from Sweden, and she knew a good cafe not far from there.

"I'm Jean," Hermione mumbled and followed her off the bridge.

"You're English, right?" Mia asked as they were seated with a large latte and bagel each at the cafe.

Hermione laughed shakily. "What gave me away?"

"Can't have been the accent, must have been the way you apologised when I held up the door for you. Now tell Aunt Mia all about it."

And she did, glossing over certain details related to magic and a megalomaniac trying to take over the world, and making one Severus Snape out to be thirteen years her senior rather than nineteen, it was still bad enough. Mia didn't comment on their age difference, however.

"So, basically, you agreed to stay away for one year and you think this guy is the one?"

Hermione nodded.

"Well, that sucks," Mia said and bit into her bagel.

"Tell me about it," Hermione mumbled. The bagel was not bad, however.

It was quite a relief to talk to someone, anyone, who wasn't really judging her. Although the other girl didn't know anything about magic or her world, she still seemed to grasp the situation.

"Well, try to see it from his perspective," Mia said. "You were his student, you're still much younger and didn't really have much experience outside school. He said he was afraid you'd leave him as soon as you met someone else, right, and you were just about to start studying where you'd meet lots of new people. So he hasn't actually rejected you but it's more like he's scared that you'd hurt him?"

"Maybe not," she conceded.

"And you said he's been awfully busy the past like ten years with too many people ordering him around, and probably hasn't been in a serious relationship or at least not in a long time? Then he probably needs to get his own head sorted out too, right? Now that he's able to do what he wants."

Hermione frowned and nibbled her lower lip. "Yeah, I guess you're right. He's kind of a complicated guy but I think we could be good together. We … fit, somehow."

Mia leaned closer over the table. "Look, If he truly is the one and you really want him then you can't give up now, the year isn't over yet. Show him you're worth it. What do you want for yourself? You can't live for him anyway, what are you going to do with your own life? If you're happy with the rest of your life it's easier for him to see you as a catch when you meet him again."

Hermione nodded reluctantly. "I guess you're right but it's so hard to figure out what to do with the rest of my life, you know?"

"Yeah, no shit. I know."

After some coaxing she followed Mia back to the home of the family she was working for, entertaining the family's three kids while Mia excused herself for a shower and most likely a muffled explanation to the parents. She felt numb, not really caring either way, about anything at all. She ended up staying for lunch, helping Mia sort out a quick quiche and a salad. The family was nice enough about letting a complete stranger into their home, but Hermione assumed she didn't exactly look very threatening and was grateful for them not asking questions.

All of a sudden the doorbell rang. Mia went to open it and soon Hermione heard a familiar voice calling her name. She quickly got up and flung herself into the arms of the last person she would have expected to see.

"Mum! What are you doing here?!"

"I got a phone call from your friend Mia and asked Lucius if he could help sort out travel arrangements so that we could come here as soon as possible," Juliette said with a theatrically raised eyebrow, apparently trying to convey that they had used magical means to arrive quickly.

"Lucius?" Hermione felt rather confused. Was he here too?

"Yes?" The blond aristocrat stepped forward from behind Hermione's mother. He wore light grey robes that could almost double as a fancy business suit, if not for his long hair, cane and cravat.

"Oh …" Hermione felt unsure of how to greet him, would a handshake be too formal, a hug surely too much?

He took matters in his own hands and caught her in a hug. To her great surprise, Lucius actually was an excellent hugger.

"Look, Hermione, even though you still have both your parents I am your father too now and I take my obligations very seriously. I thought I had lost my son, I don't want to lose my daughter that way."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she wailed, muffled against Lucius' elegant robes.

She vaguely noticed her mother and Lucius thanking the family, swapping pleasantries and assuring them that Hermione would be fine. Mia came up to her for a hug.

"How did you find their numbers?" Hermione asked, feeling terribly confused.

"Looked through your mobile when you were in the bathroom. You didn't say that they were already in the country! Good luck, stay in touch, alright?"

"Thank you, I will," Hermione said with a weak smile.

She barely registered Lucius bringing them to a hotel that catered to both Muggles and wizards where she was finally able to relax and sleep most of the day away in a suite she got to share with her mother. The three of them spent another week in the States, alternating between Muggle and wizarding sightseeing and some business meetings for Lucius. The heaviness inside her finally dissipated a little and she was able to relax, happy to let someone else set the agenda.

"Thanks for this lovely vacation, Lucius," Juliette said to him when they were back in London.

"It's been my pleasure," Lucius said with a bow.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Hermione was punctual as always as she met up with Lucius in the Ministry atrium where they would Floo to the restaurant for lunch. She wore a new set of robes in deep blue, high collared and sensible but still with a nice cut and feel to them. Draco had in a fit of brotherly love and teasing helped her buy some new robes for various occasions although she still felt more comfortable with Muggle jeans and a top.

Someone spotted Lucius and walked over to greet them. The wizard they were meeting, Columbanus Wroxton, was short and somewhat stocky and wore nondescript dark brown robes, a short greying beard and hair. He looked like someone who could fit in almost anywhere and had a sort of watchful wariness about him. He appeared to be at the very least in his upper 60's but of course with the way wizards aged it was hard to tell, and he evaded all her politely worded questions about what he actually worked with. They each stepped into the Floo and shortly arrived at the Ardent Aethonan, an upscale restaurant on Horizont Alley just off Diagon Alley, where Lucius had booked a private booth for them. She didn't even notice Lucius ordering for them as the first course, a light vegetable soup, arrived immediately. The conversation was kept superficial until they had finished the soup and the plates were cleared away.

"So, Lucius mentioned something about you being good at Arithmancy?" Columbanus asked.

"Well, it's an interesting subject and I had to use it extensively this summer to bring Voldemort down," she said, unable to stop a blush to rise.

Columbanus winced at the name. "Ah, yes, that one was a nasty piece of work. Have you brought your equations?"

Hermione nodded and took out the sheaf of parchment. With a prod of her wand she visualised the whole matrix over the table in a nice neon orange colour. She had brought a copy from before their raid on Gringotts, when the outcome was still uncertain.

"I see," the wizard said and started investigating all the components, asking questions for clarification as he went.

"Yes, this is excellent work," he said once he had looked the whole thing over. "I really like the way you have incorporated the Bayesian elements of the future singularities, and the Taylor expansions of the location vectors."

"Um … well, it's half intuition and half things I looked up in textbooks, " Hermione admitted, feeling embarrassed with her lack of knowledge.

The waiter brought in the next course, a Beef Wellington of some kind, apparently from a magical Welsh White cattle breed. It was excellent, as was the red elf-made wine which Hermione tried to sip slowly, not wanting to embarrass herself at lunch.

"Yes, I think you have a knack for Arithmancy," Columbanus said after finishing most of his plate. "You know we also often use it for other areas, such as designing new spells and wards, or in Potions research?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I haven't had the chance to play with that but I've seen others use it for those purposes."

"What else are you interested in?"

"Oh, it's so hard to choose and I'm still not sure what I want to specialise in. Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Magical History and civil rights … it's all interesting. I'll skip Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology, though."

"I see. I've had a look at your NEWT results." The wizard looked at her, sharp-eyed. "I presume you know where I work, right?"

Hermione nodded again. It was quite obvious from the cut of his robes and nondescript, evasive answers. "The Department of Mysteries."

"Very good. I would like to offer you a position with us, first as an intern of sorts on a probationary basis and then later on if both of us are happy a permanent position within research. You could gain a Mastery in whatever subject you choose along the way if you commit yourself. A word of warning, the Mastery title is likely the only thing you will be able to let outsiders know about your work."

While Hermione was trying to sputter out a thanks, Lucius butted in and took over the negotiations. After some hardcore haggling over the contract, Hermione finally got to sign it and watched it roll itself up, tie itself up with a ribbon and disappear with a pop to be filed in the Ministry archives.

-x-o-O-o-x-

By the time her twentieth birthday arrived she found, to her astonishment, that she was actually somewhat happy with where she was in life. She was reasonably settled into her vaguely worded internship with the Department of Mysteries, focussing first on Arithmancy with some detours into Charms and wards, and had managed to reconnect with her friends. Ron had moved in with Lavender to a small flat just off Diagon Alley, and Ginny had moved into Grimmauld Place. Hermione had chosen the bedroom the furthest away from theirs just in case they forgot silencing charms, but Ginny had already secured a Quidditch contract with the Holyhead Harpies and spent a lot of time away from home. Draco had finally passed his NEWTs and was considering his options, helping his father with some of the business ventures and also dabbling a little with interior design and home renovation, which he to everyone's surprise seemed to really enjoy. He was also dating Leanne Fawley, a Hufflepuff student from their year who had been in the DA, and had moved into a Malfoy townhouse in London.

The bond was mostly dormant but rarely, very rarely she sensed a hint of warmth and could almost hear him whispering her name. She often found herself rubbing the spot while she thought of him.

Two Ministry owls flitted in through the kitchen window at Grimmauld Place when she was finishing off her breakfast together with Harry. Apparently the Ministry was planning a celebration with formal dinner and dancing on the Friday following the anniversary of Voldemort's defeat, and both of them were kindly requested to attend.

"I guess we have to go," Harry commented when they had compared notes and read through both missives.

"Yeah, it didn't seem very optional. We'll get to meet everyone again at least."

"Will you go with someone?" Harry asked. He would of course escort Ginny there, that was a given.

Hermione shrugged. "Nah, the one I want hasn't been in touch so I'd rather go alone."

"You're still on about Snape?" Harry asked, looking queasy. "Oh well, it's your life. You know I want you to be happy, right? As long as I don't hear any details whatsoever about you and Snape playing backgammon I'll support you with whatever you ask."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Harry. Promise, no backgammon details if it ever comes to that again."

"Agh! Again?! You're giving me nightmares already!"

Hermione giggled and hugged him.

Yes. She would show Severus Snape just what he was missing out on if he rejected her again.

 **-x-o-x-o-x-o-**

 **A/N** Title is a Pink Floyd quote.


	21. So Special But It Hasn't Happened Yet

**So Special (But It Hasn** **'t Happened Yet)**

After the Dark Lord's unmourned demise he spent the rest of the autumn helping Minerva sort out the school and giving testimonies to the Aurors for the Death Eater trials. He got off lightly himself as the great Chosen One Harry Potter and his ilk confirmed that he had been working with them all along. Kingsley had talked very fast to get Lucius, Remus and Severus off the hooks for killing Bellatrix, Wormtail, Selwyn and Macnair just before the final battle, but since they were all confirmed Death Eaters the Wizengamot hadn't objected too much. As far as he could tell, all the important Death Eaters had been killed or caught either at the Ministry or in their own homes during the next few days after the Dark Lord's demise, which gave him a strangely empty feeling that he much later identified as relief at not having to look over his shoulder quite as frequently anymore.

As for Hogwarts, he often found Minerva buried in paperwork, swearing in Scottish over the mess Albus had left behind. She had started to implement some much needed changes and despite her previously blatant Gryffindor bias Severus found that she was more impartial as a Headmistress than Albus had ever been, which admittedly was not a very difficult achievement. Remus took over as Head of Gryffindor, and actually managed to keep his cubs well in line. Severus had resumed brewing Wolfsbane for him once the war ended, claiming it made more sense for him to do it rather than to ask Hermione in London when both Remus and Severus were at Hogwarts. Andromeda and Ted Tonks were taking over History of Magic and the newly instated Cultural Studies, replacing Muggle Studies with modules both on Wizarding and Muggle culture, and which would be made mandatory already after the Christmas break for the first and second year students. Professor Binns still taught in his usual classroom and didn't seem to notice that there were no students present anymore. For breakfast and lunch the Great Hall now housed smaller tables where students from all Houses were encouraged to mingle, although dinner was still served at the long House tables. She was also talking about starting up some extracurricular clubs but he had pointedly made himself scarce when she was looking around the staff room for volunteers.

With Draco's return to Hogwarts and to life, the small cottage he had resided in was left untended and Winky returned to Hogwarts. For some inexplicable reason the elf latched on to him as her new potential master and scared the other Hogwarts elves off from serving him. He indulged her somewhat by allowing her to clean the Potions classroom or the ingredient storeroom occasionally, and whenever she claimed to need punishment he told her to lay off the Butterbeer for a while.

He'd reluctantly agreed to spend Christmas with the Malfoys, but at least there was no Dark Lord to force festivities on them anymore and the whole family seemed happier. Narcissa and Draco had redecorated all areas that had suffered from the presence of the Death Eaters, even going so far as to completely vanish a few of the most tainted rooms. Hermione had been at the Burrow, he assumed, and he had spent the rest of the holidays at Hogwarts, burying himself in his private laboratory for as long as he dared without incurring Minerva's wrath over not socialising.

For some inexplicable reason, the end of the war also brought fame to his door in the form of sensationalist articles in the Daily Prophet about his supposedly tragic and dashing figure, and Minerva had laughed herself silly when he started receiving fan mail. He'd even gone on a few dates, most reluctantly on Lucius' insistence, but found virtually all witches to be either too stupid to talk to, only lusting after his fame and war hero status, or both. A few of the witches had even kissed him and heavily hinted at going further, but he just found himself repulsed by them and declined their advances.

At first he was simply astonished to find himself alive and free from both his masters. Gradually he found that he was able to relax, to find a new equilibrium, and also that he absolutely loathed teaching, to perhaps no one's surprise. Some long and rather wine-soaked discussions with Lucius coupled with some late poker nights with Minerva and a bottle of her best whisky eventually led to a decision. For perhaps the first time in his life he was actually in charge of his own future, his own life; and it was about time that he take advantage of it. Minerva was elated to hear of his plans to quit and start up a potions brewing and research company, but still complained about having to recruit another teacher. He agreed to stay for the rest of the school year which also gave him some time to start sorting out his affairs.

-x-o-O-o-x-

A Sunday afternoon in February found him seated in his chambers with a cup of tea and the latest Potions Monthly issue. He was ahead on brewing for the Hospital Wing, had finished a batch of experimental potions and even done all his grading. Apparently not having two masters monopolising his time meant that he actually could have some time for himself, too.

Fawkes chirped impatiently and sent a picture of fruit salad to his mind. He was growing back into his adult feathers rapidly, consuming what Severus was convinced was a full orchard's worth of fruit every week. For some inexplicable reason, it seemed as if the bird had adopted Severus as his new familiar. Severus was quite certain that it wasn't the other way around as he hadn't been given a choice in the matter, rather just presented with a _fait accompli_ and an overgrown chicken with a fire complex. At least the bird was rather good company. He found himself reading particularly bad student essays and Potions journal articles to the bird who often sent amusing mental images back to him.

He thought back to Albus' funeral. After Fawkes' rather ostentatious fireworks, the bird had somehow managed to end up in Severus' robe pocket. Any attempts to dislodge him to his old perch in the Headmaster's office were futile as Severus would find the bird back in his pocket the next time he deigned to look, or put his hand down it. Impatient chirping requested fruit - right now thankyouverymuch - in the way only a hungry chick could, and it hadn't taken long for him to offload the task of feeding the bottomless bird belly to Winky.

Dinner in the Great Hall was noisy as usual. He chose his customary chair, Fawkes perching on the back of it. Unfortunately, Remus Lupin arrived after him and chose the seat next to Severus. Ever since that night in the Malfoys' gardens it was as if Moony had decided that Severus was pack, and that Moony himself rather wanted to move in with Severus, sleep below his bed, fetch his slippers and go for walks in the moonlight. Fawkes sent him an image of Moony with a pink bow tie and a poodle cut, causing Severus to chuckle. The bird could be just as bitingly sharp as Severus himself whenever he wanted to.

"What's so funny?" Remus asked.

"Do you have a pink bow tie? Fawkes thought you'd look good in one and a poodle cut," Severus answered.

Tonks laughed from Remus' other side. "That can be arranged, Severus. Shall I send you a picture?"

"Spare me the details, please."

"Did you hear that Hermione left St Mungo's?" Tonks asked across Remus' plate.

He raised an eyebrow at her, lazily, trying hard to look unperturbed despite his rising pulse. "I do not make a habit of gossiping about former students, Nymphadora."

"Well she did anyway, Harry thought she was with her parents but he hadn't heard from her in a few weeks. Apparently she didn't give notice to Healer Pye, she just took off. And you only call me that when I'm on to something so your attitude doesn't impress me, Professor."

"Is that so," he said blandly.

He cut dinner short and returned to his chambers, not engaging Tonks in any more conversation. Inwardly however he was concerned, and tried in vain to recall if the Malfoys had said something. He seated himself in his customary armchair in front of the fire, closed his eyes and sought out the bond which he usually kept tightly shut away. It was dull and heavy in his chest. He frowned and opened his shirt to place a hand directly over it while Fawkes clucked at him and hopped up on his shoulder. As his hand touched his sternum, he was accosted by darkness. Pain, sorrow, apathy and just plain misery shot through him, almost pulling him under with its intensity. Somehow he had managed to forget what it was like to try to exist with those kinds of feelings, when nothing could pierce the dullness of existence, when the very act of breathing was too painful and the only wish one had when going to bed was that one wouldn't wake the next day.

Steadying himself he focussed on warmth, on comfort, on reassurance that the darkness would pass, and tried to send the feelings through the bond. He vaguely noticed Fawkes starting to sing, which at least let him breathe easier even if he couldn't be sure it would transfer through the bond.

-x-o-O-o-x-

"You never told me about what happened between you and Hermione, Severus," Lucius commented one weekend evening as they sat together by the fireplace again in the Malfoy lord's study, idly sipping a cognac. Fawkes had come along too but was out on the grounds somewhere, probably chatting with the peacocks. The bird had grown into his flying feathers but was still a fledgling, not quite adult-looking yet.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He didn't want to talk about it but there didn't seem to be a good reason not to, and so he found himself describing their interactions all the way from her assisting him with potions at Grimmauld Place during the summer up to their latest encounter. He omitted the soul bond, however.

"That explains a thing or two," the blond man said, frowning. "Do you care for her?"

Severus nodded reluctantly. "Yes … unfortunately."

Lucius smirked. "Well, since she is now my daughter, I will give you permission to court her. I never thought I'd end up with you as a son-in-law, Severus, since Draco isn't gay."

"I think you are playing this whole adoption card too much, Lucius. Besides, the question is academical as I have no intention to saddle the girl with myself as a suitor."

"Let me guess, you don't consider yourself worthy? You're too old for her? Too dark? Too grumpy? Too set in your solitary ways? You were her teacher?" Lucius ticked off the items on his fingers as he spoke, leaning forward in his chair. "Did I miss anything?"

Severus levelled a glare at his oldest friend which naturally had no effect at all. "Yes indeed. She's bright, has her whole future ahead of her and deserves someone younger and happier. I did agree to meeting her a year from the end of the war but I expect her to be hanging on the arms of a young wizard by then." He quenched the shudder of discomfort that arose at that thought.

Lucius sipped his cognac, seemingly relaxed but not taking his eyes off Severus.

"There is something more here, Severus, that you aren't telling me. What is it? Although I didn't exactly go about this in the traditional way, she's still my daughter and I will protect her."

Severus sighed and glared at Lucius again. The man could be annoyingly perceptive sometimes. "Fine. She managed to saddle me with a soul bond during our first time together, doing a ritual that Andromeda taught her."

Lucius stared at him a long time before shaking his head. "Oh, Severus. Now you've really bollocksed it up. "

He bristled. "Me? She didn't exactly ask me beforehand, or even inform me after the fact until we had slept together twice more!"

Lucius merely looked at him and shook his head, making Severus feel oddly wrong-footed again, like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Slowly, insidiously, a feeling of loss made itself known. Loss, and longing, and loneliness. He realised that he missed her presence, both for her quick mind and their heated discussions but also that he missed sharing a bed with her, waking up next to a warm witch with his nose full of hair, the way she looked at him, her hand lightly touching his neck or arm. Somehow she had seen him as simply Severus, the man, not as Professor Snape or the Ex-Death Eater or any other of the roles he had been required to play over the years.

He often found himself rubbing his sternum, and occasionally he could hear a hint of a sibilant whisper as if she was saying his name. At least she seemed to be faring better than earlier, her moods through the bond were less dark. Lucius had given him a status report after his impromptu Stateside vacation, and it was Severus who had suggested that she might be interested in Arithmancy based on her work during the summer. He still couldn't quite get over the fact that she had managed to deduce that Draco was alive purely from the equations.

Miss Lovegood stayed behind after her final Potions class before the NEWTs. She was still wearing Rowena's diadem, now adorned with fresh flowers, colourful pipe cleaners, gaudy feathers and plastic googly eyes in addition to the wine corks.

She regarded him steadily over her armful of books. "She still cares about you, you know. Don't throw it away just because you're afraid."

It was no use arguing with her, he knew she knew that he knew what she was talking about. "I shall keep that in mind, Miss Lovegood. Are you keeping the diadem?"

She tilted her head and appeared to check him over for invisible creatures. "No, I'm giving it back to Rowena. It belongs here to ward off the Wrackspurts. See you around, Professor."

"Undoubtedly," he answered, giving her a nod as she turned to leave.

He felt oddly elated as he took one final look around the quarters he had called his own for nearly two decades, now stripped of anything personal. He had absolutely refused to let Minerva give him an official farewell dinner, saying that the kids would undoubtedly be over the moon to see him gone, but nonetheless his last week in the castle had seen more students seeking him out voluntarily than ever before, asking about his plans and even thanking him for teaching them. Now that was something that had most definitely never happened before. He had called a Slytherin meeting a few days earlier, gathering all his Snakes to ensure that they didn't think he was leaving because of them. A few of them had been teary-eyed and they'd even presented him with a potions journal as a gift from the whole House which had left him at a loss for words and having to pull down all his Occlumency walls to make it with his dignity intact.

-x-o-O-o-x-

He had planned to find a better location for his new brewing company which he had registered at the Ministry as Phoenix Prince Potions, but the research project he had started at Hogwarts had consumed too much of his spare time and was still in a sensitive stage. He wanted to improve the Wolfsbane potion by making it more stable so that it didn't have to be brewed fresh for the werewolf during the three full moon days each month, which would allow many more werewolves to have access to it. As such he didn't have any location for his business other than his old home at Spinner's End where he set up a lab in the cellar. Winky followed him there, simply Apparating to his living room the day after he moved out of Hogwarts, and refusing to listen to him when he asked if she shouldn't be at Hogwarts.

Draco had passed a respectable number of NEWTs and somehow managed to browbeat Severus into allowing him to redecorate the house, and so the young Malfoy spent a lot of time with him over the summer, testing out various building techniques, moving rooms and changing wallpaper. He was intensely curious about the Muggle aspects of the house and must have spent at least half an hour playing with the electric lights in the kitchen. Fawkes approved of his presence, seeming to think that Severus needed to meet some people at least occasionally, but having the opportunity to devote all his time to research felt like an indulgence after the past few years. The Wolfsbane project was difficult, not only because it could only be trialled three days per month and he only had Moony as guinea pig, but also because of the inherent instability of the brew. He had been certain that he had solved it by the full moon in late August but unfortunately Remus had spent the whole night howling in pain before Severus dosed him with a sleeping draught.

It did feel odd however when September First came and went without him seated at the High Table, guessing at the outcome of the Sorting with Minerva. Still, it felt like the right choice. He was his own master now, able to choose his hours and his tasks, although quite a few of those hours were spent brewing potions for the Hogwarts Infirmary. Poppy had insisted that he would take the brewing contract which gave him a stable source of income over the year.

An officious owl fluttered in through the window with an affronted squawk as his wards singed its tail feathers while Severus was finishing his breakfast one Tuesday morning. It held out a leg for him with a scroll bearing the Ministry seal. Ministry scrolls never contained good news, in his opinion. Warily he untied the scroll as the bird nicked a piece of bacon off his plate and flew off, and he found he was right this time too as the Ministry had now decided to host a Victory Ball and he was most cordially invited to participate on pain of Auror escort should he decline.

Not half an hour later, his Floo flared with a call from Draco who didn't wait for his acknowledgement before stepping through the flames.

"I see you also received the summons, Uncle." Draco had spotted his invitation where he had thrown it, in front of the fireplace.

"Stupid bloody Ministry and their bloody stupid celebrations," Severus grumbled.

"Oh, you're going, one way or the other," his godson promised. "Now come on, you have an appointment at Twilfit and Tattings in half an hour. Yes you do, I just set it up for you."

 **-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-**

 **A/N** Title is from a song by the Icelandic singer Björk. One more chapter and an epilogue. Onwards!

Oh, and phoenix behaviour and diet shamelessly stolen from the great corvusdraconis.


	22. Pale Sun, Crescent Moon

**Pale Sun, Crescent Moon**

Hermione felt like an anxious ball of nervous energy as she entered the ballroom together with Harry and Ginny, Draco and Leanne, grateful for their company. She wore deep blue dress robes with gold brocade on the bodice and waistband with a short sheer cape glittering with gold dust over her shoulders, while Ginny was dressed in the deepest green, setting off her hair and the diamonds sparkling in her necklace nicely. They'd spent hours together in the bathroom at Grimmauld Place trying to tame their hair and apply makeup.

Ron had already arrived with Lavender, and most of the Order was already there along with anybody who wanted to claim to be someone in Wizarding Britain, dressed in their finest robes. Sparkling chandeliers lit up the large room lined with marble columns, and charmed trays were floating around the room with flutes of champagne. A charmed string quartet was playing in a corner, soft tones carrying across the room. She spoke to Kingsley, Lavender, Minerva, Healer Pye, and several others that she vaguely recognised, all the while scanning for a certain dark-haired Potions master. She could feel the bond thrumming; he was close.

Finally she saw him, talking to a tall, slim platinum blonde witch with a sparkling shimmery silver dress that left little to imagination. She was utterly beautiful and Hermione felt unreasonably jealous. As if on cue, Severus turned his head and looked straight at her. He seemed to politely disengage himself from the conversation, the witch levelled a cool gaze her way and glided off somewhere else. Suddenly he was by her side and she had trouble breathing.

"Hermione."

"Severus." She loved saying his name.

"You look enchanting today," he said, eyes widening ever so slightly as he looked at her cleavage.

She couldn't stop a blush from rising on her cheeks. "Thank you, you look rather dashing yourself."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"A year has passed," she said, feeling stupid.

"Indeed. I heard you left St Mungo's?"

She nodded. "I couldn't stay. I've been travelling a bit and am now interning in the Ministry doing Charms research. What about you? Draco mentioned you left Hogwarts?"

He bowed his head slightly. "Indeed. I am now free of dunderheads and now spend my time mainly with Potions research and brewing."

"That sounds good," she said lamely, not knowing what to say in this throng of people where there was no telling who might overhear them.

He sipped his champagne and whisked a glass off a floating tray, handing it to her.

"Would you care to accompany me somewhere more … quiet?" he asked with a raised eyebrow that caused butterflies in her belly.

She nodded dumbly and let him guide her out on the nearby balcony which was deserted save for a couple of older wizards conversing in the corner. They went to the other end of the balcony and he threw up a Muffliato. He looked awfully calm and collected, and stunningly handsome in his elaborate dress robes. He wore a slate grey frockcoat with silver inlays that whirled around the lapels in intricate ever-changing designs. A blue cravat and a pristine white shirt peeked out from underneath the coat and he wore the narrow black glossy silk Potions Master robes over it all like a cape along with his Master insignia on the lapel.

She took a deep breath and pulled on all her Gryffindor courage, putting the glass down on the balustrade. "I have tried to forget you, Severus. I tried hooking up with guys but either they bore me to death with Quidditch talk or I have to flee when they try to kiss me before I throw up on them. I've missed you."

He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "You shouldn't want me, Hermione. You should find someone young and carefree."

Hermione looked out over the garden and sipped the champagne. It was fizzy and light and probably went straight to her head.

"You think you can speak for me, but I know what I want. Should I tell you?"

"If you insist."

Hermione took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, still facing the garden, her hands on the balustrade. "I want someone who understands my interests, someone with whom I can debate the latest theories in Transfiguration, Charms, Potions or Arithmancy. I want someone who is fine with spending a day in the library, reading and drinking tea in silence. I want someone who understands why you have to get up at two in the morning sometimes to chase an idea when inspiration has struck, someone who can bring me a cup of tea or a sandwich when I forget to eat due to getting stuck in a book, someone who understands my references so that I don't have to dumb myself down. I want someone for whom I can do the same, so that we can support each other. I want tall, dark, and snarky. I want someone who doesn't try to talk Quidditch with me, someone tall enough to reach the Agrimony on the top shelf so that I don't have to drag out a stool. I want someone who looks at me as if I'm his world, not sparing a glance at other girls, and who understands the difference between possessiveness and jealousy. I want someone that I can trust, and who trusts me in turn, someone who knows and understands my history and what we've been through with this war and why I might still have nightmares about it. I want someone to curl up next to in bed, wrapping his arms around me on a cold winter morning, someone to warm my cold feet in the evenings. I want someone who can turn my legs to jelly and soak my knickers with a word, a look, a simple touch. I want you."

She turned around to face him. His face had gone blank again but there was something heated in his gaze. She could feel the bond come back to life again in his presence, a hot ache thrumming in her sternum.

"Tell me, what do you want, Severus Snape?"

He frowned, closing his eyes. "I …"

Whatever he was about to say was interrupted as an elf clad in a server apron with the Ministry logo popped out on the balcony and nervously flapped its ears.

"I is to tell Master Snape and Miss Malfoy to come in now! Food is being served!"

He gave her a darkly amused look and held out his arm for her. She nervously stepped up beside him and let him tuck her arm in his. As he put his free hand over hers the touch of skin on skin made the bond flare, spreading heat through her chest.

As they made their way to the dining room they saw the seating chart by the door. The room was full of round tables with about ten people per table. A few were already seated but most of the people were still mingling. She found her name amongst some names she didn't recognise but at least Septima Vector and Bill Weasley were seated across from her.

"Where are you seated, Severus?" she asked as she tried to find his name.

"Oh, fancy that," he said blandly and with a flick of his wand he swapped his name with the wizard Hermione was seated with. "Looks like I get to escort you to the table. How fortuitous."

He smirked at her astonished but amused glance and escorted her to the table where the place cards had updated themselves at the same time as the floor plan. They greeted the rest of the table as they arrived, Hermione sat next to a young assistant Mediwizard who had apparently taken notice of her at St Mungo's and Severus had a striking dark-haired witch on his other side who was apparently involved in medicinal Herbology.

Afterwards, she wasn't able to say what meals they had been served. There were loads of them, and Severus was very attentive to her all the time and kept a running commentary about the Ministry officials that kept interrupting them for speeches. Bill kept throwing confused glances their way but he had nothing on Professor Vector's permanent smirk. The wizard to her right was trying to engage her in discussion about St Mungo's and some projects they were starting up on wound healing, but Severus' scowl had him lose track and turn towards his own table companion. Hermione felt the same kind of possessiveness when the dark-haired witch tried to subtly flirt with Severus, placing her hand on his arm and leaning towards him, almost shoving her décolletage in his face. The nerve of that woman! Severus shot Hermione an amused glance but disentangled his arm from the witch and leaned away from her.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Once the endless dinner finally wound to a halt, Kingsley Shacklebolt walked up on a stage that had risen up from the floor. Apparently the Ministry felt generous, or perhaps guilty. After a short speech he started handing out Orders of Merlin, starting with Third Class. Several Aurors and other people peripherally involved in the fight were awarded Third Class medals, as were Luna Lovegood and the Weasley twins. Second Class medals went to a few Order members including Bill Weasley, Remus, Alastor Moody and Minerva, and to Lucius Malfoy for his resistance and help at the end.

"I think you all know what's coming," Kingsley said and the room laughed. "Order of Merlin First Class is the highest honour we have to award. This war has been unprecedented in its length and viciousness and several of our young members of society have grown up completely in the shadow of the war. They have had to grow up fast which shows in the fact that several of them are recipients of this medal. A few others have also shown unprecedented commitment and bravery which we will honour today. Please come up, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger-Malfoy, Ronald Weasley, Ginevra Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and Master Severus Snape!"

Thunderous applause filled the room as Severus helped her out of her chair and they made their way up to the podium. They were each handed their medal by Kingsley who shook their hands and kissed the ladies on their cheeks. Harry was forced to say something.

"Thanks Kingsley. I'm happy to be here today, celebrating that we all live surrounded by friends and family, but I would have been happier had it not been needed. It's been a lot to bear for me and my friends during our Hogwarts years and I never wished to become a symbol or a hero. And for what, exactly? Will the next Voldemort rise in another fifty years to try to pull the rich and influential to his cause to take over the world? I sincerely hope we have learned a bit about tolerance and power-hungry psychopaths, and what actually determines a person's worth. It's not Hogwarts houses or blood status, and that is not the world I want to see my future kids grow up in. I want us to take a minute to remember those that are no longer with us due to this war. Thank you, all." Harry raised his wand and lit the tip with a silent Lumos, causing everyone to rise and follow suit.

-x-o-O-o-x-

Kingsley called for everyone to leave the room as Hermione hugged Harry and her other friends, and Lucius greeted her with cheek kisses French style. Severus hovered close by, fending off most people wanting a word with any of them by the power of his scowl alone. They were all led into the next room where the dancing had already started to a large live band.

"Would you care for a dance, Miss Granger-Malfoy?"

"Why? Oh, I mean, I didn't think you danced?"

"You are usually correct but I assure you I know how to not tread on your feet." He held out his hand to her, eyebrow raised in question.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, yes I'd love to." She bit her lip, trying to stop babbling, and took his hand to let him guide her out on the floor.

As it turned out, Severus Snape was excellent at foxtrot. He led her safely across the floor, easily guiding her steps. Gradually she was able to relax, and neither of them released their hold once the song ended and a wizarding waltz began. He pulled her slightly closer and she relaxed into his chest, lost in his scent of sandalwood and various herbs.

"Yes, Hermione," he breathed into her hair. "I find myself in agreement with your wish list."

Another dance started up. Someone was trying to cut in but Severus scowled at the wizard until he went away, and guided Hermione across the floor. She saw Kingsley dancing with Luna and looking at them with an amused half-smile as they twirled around other couples. Ginny had danced the first dance with Harry but was now dancing with Draco who was considerably better at it.

"Please understand that this is not easy for me as I have never had reason to be in this position before." He spoke quietly over the music, for her ears only.

A dip, a bow, and another foxtrot started.

"I have never been permitted to dream of a witch to share my life, a family, maybe even children one day. It was made very clear right from the beginning that such things are not for me to have."

She started to protest, pulling her head back a little to look in his eyes.

"This newfound fame that I never sought brought lots of gold diggers even to my door, but I turned them all down as the very thought of other witches repulsed me." He raised an eyebrow at her, black eyes boring into hers. She could lose herself in that gaze. She was already lost.

"I did some more research on the bond," she informed him. "It only enhances what was already there, it can't create something from nothing. The strength of it depends on the underlying feelings that the couple has for each other."

Something flared in his eyes again but he kept silent and twirled her around some more.

"Don't you see? There was a reason why I offered myself to you last summer. It was always you. I wouldn't have done it for anyone else."

He didn't answer but pulled her closer. She vaguely noticed people starting to stare at them, their closeness and the fact that they had been dancing the last four dances together.

"You asked what I want," he finally said. "I shall tell you."

He stopped dancing right in the middle of the floor and took both her hands in his, palms up. A circle started forming around them as people noticed them standing still.

"If you truly are willing, Hermione, I would court you," he said and kissed her left palm, his breath hot in her hand. "I would claim you as my partner and equal, my confidante and lover. You and only you I would court, if you accept me?" He kissed her right palm and looked up at her, a challenge and a question in his gaze.

"Yes, Severus, of course I do accept you!"

A fleeting smile in his eyes before she pulled him closer, closer still for a passionate kiss, not caring one bit about the crowd looking at them. Their bond sang again at the rightness of the contact, and Severus met her need with his own urgency. The world flooded in once the kiss ended, people gasping and the feeling of impending doom by a thousand questions or scandalised outrage, but Severus staved them off with a glare and swept Hermione along with him, out and away from there. He pulled her into a tight embrace once they were clear of the wards and Apparated both of them to Spinner's End, directly into the bedroom in the name of efficiency.

-x-o-O-o-x-

"I've been in love with you for so long," she whispered to him once she had caught her bearings again, and he hungrily kissed her again.

"I tried to deny it but the bond wouldn't let me. I do love you, Hermione."

"Oh!"

She pounced on him which caused both of them to fall in a slightly undignified heap on his bed. "I love you too, Severus Snape. Now get out of those clothes, why are you always wearing so many layers?!"

He chuckled and complied, leaving him in the white shirt and black dress trousers only, before starting to work on her dress. She wanted more, faster, right now, and impatiently removed the rest of his clothing wandlessly while kicking off her own heels right as he got the dress off her. He seemed to be just as hungry for her as she was for him, placing hot wet kisses down her throat, one hand unfastening her bra, the other sliding in underneath to cup a breast. His mouth on the other nipple once the bra came off, her hand in his hair, it wasn't enough, she needed more.

"Please, now, Severus!"

He murmured a contraceptive charm wandlessly, a hand on her stomach. It tingled inside her as it settled but she was grateful that he remembered. One large hand sought out her core, discarding her soaked knickers before he plunged a finger inside. She still wanted more, not satisfied until he was sheathed in her, closer, faster, more, until the white hot bliss swept both of them over the edge.

The bond felt almost alive as they pulled apart in a sweaty tangle where she couldn't help but to kiss the spot at his sternum.

"With my kiss I claim you," she whispered. He raised a tired eyebrow at her but flipped her over on her back and did the same with a detour to both of her nipples.

"With my kiss I claim you," he said as well and kissed her mouth. White hot magic flared out from them like a nova as the bond finalised itself. Fawkes started singing triumphantly from the other room, sounding terribly smug.

"Um, did we just seal a magical bond?" she asked and started laughing.

He smirked at her. "Might be a very short courtship then. I hope you don't mind overly much."

She disentangled herself for a short bathroom visit and happened to catch a glimpse of the state of her hair and makeup in the mirror. She dug around in his bathroom cabinet and set about cleaning up. Apparently he made his own bathroom products, she found shaving cream and face wash in neat Potions vials with labels in his familiar spidery scrawl. Just as she was debating whether or not to hop in the shower for a quick rinse, the door opened and Severus padded in dressed in a simple bath robe, black of course.

"I was wondering whether you got lost, little witch."

He walked up behind her and looped his arms around her, burying his nose in her curly hair. He felt warm and comforting against her back.

"My hair is a complete mess. I need a shower."

"Whatever for? I might just mess it up again for you."

"Join me?" She stepped into the shower and he soon followed.

He was deliciously close, and deliciously wet, and after being too distracted to wash her hair by his wet kisses along her clavicle and up her throat she instead thrust the bottle of his homemade shampoo into his hands, asking him to help distribute it so that she could tangle her own hands into his hair and pull him down for a kiss until the flow of water over her face made her gasp for air.

They managed to finish showering amidst kisses and exploration but he soon carried her back to his bed and continued mapping her reactions thoroughly, kissing parts of her that she had never expected to elicit a response, such as the back of her knees or that spot right by her shoulder blade. She almost passed out from pleasure when he brought his mouth down, down to lap at her juices, his silky tongue coaxing her climax out of her so suddenly that she nearly bucked him off the bed. When she could see again he had the most satisfied male smirk she'd ever seen on his face, holding her tight against his chest. She flipped him over and went for payback, testing out his own reactions to her mouth on his neck, his earlobes, his nipples. When she tentatively took him in her mouth and he let out a string of expletives she felt her heart swell with the knowledge that she could elicit such a response from him, that he was willing to surrender control to her despite his rigid public persona. He didn't let her finish him off, instead pulling her up next to him where she welcomed him inside again, heart full to bursting with her own love and desire as well as his, mirrored through the bond.

-x-o-O-o-x-

As she slowly awoke the next morning she was able to take in a bit more of her surroundings. The rickety bed that she recalled from her first visit to Severus Snape's bed had been upgraded to a nice, sturdy black metal frame double bed, with a deliciously soft and fluffy mattress. The bed linen also appeared to be new, duvet covers and pillowcases in a nice teal, fresh but still masculine, matching the new area rug at the foot of the bed. She winced as she sat up, a bit sore, not used to that kind of exercise. An arm pulled her down again and she snuggled back into his embrace, blissfully content to wake up next to him, enveloped by his scent. Other needs made themselves known and she tried to extricate herself from his arms which only led to him holding her tighter, humming in her hair.

"I need to get up, Severus," she complained.

"Whatever for, am I not enough for you? I have all I need right here, witch," he murmured, nose buried in her hair.

"Please, I need to go to the bathroom!"

He sighed dramatically. "Always with the excuses. Do you need a healing potion?"

She blushed. "That might be a good idea, actually."

She stole his bathrobe when she was done in the bathroom which she now noticed had also been renovated. When she gingerly made it down the stairs she found Winky complaining that Severus, now clad in black slacks and a faded Rolling Stones tee, was taking over her job by frying his own eggs for breakfast.

He'd placed two potions vials by her tea cup. She immediately recognised one of them as a healing potion, but the other one was harder to place.

"Monthly contraceptive potion," he explained and handed her a plate of eggs and toast.

"Good idea," she murmured and downed both vials.

Fawkes fluttered in through the closed window, accompanied by a snowy white owl with a missive tied to its foot.

"Hedwig?" Hermione asked and reached for the note, handing the bird a piece of her toast. Harry had written that he was going to field off any reporters and unwanted questions for as long as he was able, that she would owe him big time, and please no details whatsoever about backgammon. She sent Hedwig off with a reply that she was happy, everything was fine, and thanks a million for playing Beater.

Meanwhile, Fawkes had beelined for the back of her chair. Something made her automatically reach out for a kiwi from the bowl of fruit on the table, and Severus smirked.

"I see he has started to communicate with you as well," he remarked, gesturing at the fruit.

"What? Oh," she said, confusion lifting gradually. She cut the fruit into chunks and handed them to Fawkes who politely plucked them from her hand, careful not to spill in her hair.

"I put a Confundus ward up to divert any owls or reporters that will try to besiege us and any Howlers will be returned to sender. Unless you want to return to Grimmauld Place?"

She shook her head emphatically. "No. I want to be with you, for as long as you will have me. Or do you want me to leave?" She bit her lip, suddenly worried.

He pulled her up to her feet into a tight embrace. She threaded her fingers through his hair, seeking out a kiss. This man, this place. This was home.

"Yes, witch, I do want you to stay in my life and in my bed, with me." His rich baritone near her ear caused goosebumps to run down her spine, pooling in her knickers.

"Are you sure about that? For how long do you want me?"

Another kiss before he broke it off to be able to look into her eyes.

"Always."

-x-o-x-o-x-o-

A/N Title is from the band Cowboy Junkies. Thanks to everyone that has left reviews and followed this journey! There will be an epilogue since I did promise that, but otherwise we're at the end of this wild ride. This is the first time ever I've published something, I'm happy to have pulled it off. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as are reviews in general.


	23. Epilogue - Into the Great Wide Open

**Epilogue - Into the Great Wide Open**

Severus thought back to their first year together as he sat with a book in the lilac arbour overlooking the garden of their cottage on a sunny July afternoon, almost eight years after the end of the war. She had simply moved in that night after the Ministry ball, only returning to Grimmauld Place to fetch some clothes and the grumpy orange thing she called a cat on the Sunday afternoon. It hadn't exactly been planned that way but neither of them saw a point with spending nights apart just for the sake of it, especially with Hermione busy at the Ministry during the weekdays and often staying late just because she enjoyed the work. The scandal of his courtship of an ex-student paled quickly in the face of the more juicy scandal of Kingsley being seen together with one Luna Lovegood, however, and media attention waned reasonably quickly.

She'd chased down Mastery titles in Charms and Arithmancy and also often helped him with brewing or setting up the Arithmancy calculations for new research ideas. He had actually managed to get the improved Wolfsbane sorted and registered at the Ministry just after Christmas, after too many failures, late nights and painful shifts for Remus. The revenue from the patent on that potion alone left him quite comfortable, so much so that he didn't have to worry about chasing brewing contracts for simple brews like Pepper-Up or Calming Draughts other than for Hogwarts. His needs were rather modest, after all, as long as he was able to buy new Potions ingredients, journals, books and the like. Somehow he was also pulled into assessing and breaking Dark curses, wards and hexes for various clients including both Gringotts curse-breaker division and on occasion even the Unspeakables. He enjoyed the challenge, however, and it did get him out of the house occasionally.

They argued, quite a lot, neither of them willing to admit defeat and often one or the other would surreptitiously bring up something outrageous just to spark a debate. He'd also had to endure more than his fair share of Weasleys, not to mention Potter, but after some initial tension the redheads had settled into mostly ignoring him which was just fine by him. Bill occasionally got in touch with him to share experiences from his job or ask for advice, and the twins had asked for some input on a few potions-based products.

He'd dreaded the Meeting of the Parents but to his surprise it actually went well. Hermione had brought Lucius along which he found odd at first before seeing him interact with the Grangers. They accepted him as Hermione's choice, David surreptitiously pulling him aside to wish him luck which had earned both of them a box on the arm when Hermione noticed, and Juliette whispering something to Hermione about his backside which he pretended not to have heard.

They'd married in a handfasting ceremony already the next summer after the Ministry ball, held at the Grangers' cottage in Cornwall so that the Muggle part of the family would be able to join in. Lucius had surprised them by gifting them the cottage they still resided in, located in a small community in West Sussex. Their nearest neighbours were wizarding families too but the closest village was Muggle. The cottage had been magically expanded inside, and came with a large barn on the grounds that Severus promptly converted to a Potions lab.

The ceremony had been surprisingly bearable, officiated by Minerva. Hermione had looked ethereally beautiful in a sheer white dress and a dazzling smile just for him. Although he'd had to endure more people than he had wanted, Hermione had also been adamant to keep the ceremony private and personal, and so they were mainly surrounded by Weasleys, Grangers and some other of Hermione's relatives, and some Hogwarts staff and former students. Hermione's French grandmother had spent a lot of time chatting with Lucius and getting rather sloshed on champagne, but apparently Lucius had enjoyed her company so much so that he visited her vineyard in France a few months later.

Their bond had meant that even his secret insecurities had to admit defeat. She did, actually, against all odds, love him. He knew; he could feel it. He could also feel when she was upset over something, or happy, and thus managed to figure out what to do and what not to do in a relationship relatively quickly.

Hermione came out through the garden door of the cottage and waddled up to him, belly first, seeking a kiss. She looked as beautiful as ever, he thought, and the fact that her current state made her, well, curvier than usual was only adding to her appeal although she complained about a sore back and that she had to go up to pee every two hours at night and frequently craved Wasabi nuts and candied cashews. A trade-off that was completely worth it, in his opinion, not that he ever told her that.

"Mum!" a young girl called and ran after her.

Octavia Eileen Snape was another of those surprises life had brought him. Three years old, raven black hair much like his but slightly curly like her mother's, his own black eyes but thankfully Hermione's nose. His wife always said that she liked his nose, claiming it made him look like a Roman emperor, but he had never believed it.

He'd never thought he would be a father, in fact he had been quite certain that he'd never qualify for the role, either due to never finding someone crazy enough to let him become one or due to his own father being shitty enough to get him disqualified from the mere thought of it. The day of her birth had been the most terrifying, amazing, exhausting and worrying day of his life, and he would never forget the feeling of holding that tiny, wrinkly baby who was looking up at him with eyes as black as his own.

A young wife, a family of three, soon to be four, a headstrong phoenix, a grumpy cat/half-kneazle and two house elves, as Winky's special friend Spiky had insisted to move in with them from Hogwarts. It was more than he had ever dreamt of. The irony that he had Bellatrix Lestrange to thank for it was not lost on him.

Yes. He was happy.


End file.
